


In The Valley

by ginnybean



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, M Chapters Will Be Noted
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2020-07-23 21:42:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20015227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ginnybean/pseuds/ginnybean
Summary: Adelaide is tried of her Joja and City Life. She finally opens her grandfather's old letter to find herself in charge to an old farm in a tiny town she hardly remembers.





	1. New Beginnings

**SPRING YEAR 1**

Adelaide stare the blinking cursor on her computer. Well it wasn’t really her computer, nothing here was really hers. Not even the headphones that fell like they were burning into her hair were hers. JojaMart owned everything. A red box popped up on her screen letting her know it had been too long since she had answered a call. Soon the red box was joined by a beating in the headphones. She was sure in a second the goblin of a manager would pop up at the tiny box she worked in to dock her performance points. As if her not answering a call was going to be the downfall of the multimillion gold company.

She wondered what was bothering her so much, the last call hadn’t been too bad. She hadn’t been cursed at, just condescended. That thought made her snap out of it. Really? Really? Had she really reached the point where she considered condescension qualified as something “good”.

She reached into her lapel pocket. She always kept the letter her grandfather had left her close. She wasn’t sure why but she felt uneasy at work if she left it at home. She supposed it was cause she knew deep down that if she ever became tired with her life it would be at work. She opened up the folded envelope and read the letter.

For a long time after the mayor and Robin left Adelaide stood on the sagging porch. Even though her grandfather had only died 6 years ago, he had stopped taking care of the farm far before that. Almost everything was overgrown or weatherworn. Adelaide could see four holes in the roof of the barn and that was just one side. The tall grass and patches of trees were different from anything she was use to. She had spent her childhood years where cactuses were more common then everything in the city had been planned to a T. Even the city parks followed an orderly path. She looked down that turnip seeds the mayor had given her. She supposed she should get started soon. Maybe she would work on clearing the land before planting anything. After all when she lived in the city she had hardly done anything that required spending her money. Partly cause she was very much a homebody and partly because her job just drained her far too much. She had even managed to get most of her 401K savings back. She won’t need to start selling vegetables right away, but she didn’t know how much it would cost to get the land back in working order.

“Well, you already made it this far, might as well start.” Adelaide pocketed the seed before picking up her hoe.

It was five days before Adelaide clearing enough space that she felt confident that she could plant some crops without anything getting in the way. She stood on the porch again to admire her handiwork. Most of the farm looked the same and she wouldn’t even think about the barn yet but her little patch in front of the house looked good. Which was more than could be said about herself. She looked down to her mud covered pants and ripped shirt. At times like this she really wished she had a mudroom. Oh well, she thought as she added it to the growing list of things she wanted to improve on the farm. For now she would just have to be content to mainly stripping on her porch. Unlike in the city she didn’t have twelve neighbors with easy views of her front door.

She was just kicking off her pant leg that caught on her ankle when she hear a squawk that sounded awfully human. She looked up, not too worried. She still had her top on so she wasn’t too indecent. There was a young man with a skateboard covering the front of him. She could just see a bit of pale spiked hair peeking over the top.

“Sorry! I didn’t think you would…umm” He trailed off.

With a sigh Adelaide pulled back on her pants. She wrinkled her nose at the gross stiff feeling of them. “I’m covered.”

The skateboard lower to relived the bluest pair of eyes she had ever seen. He grinned at her.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

“I’m Sam, my mom asked me to bring you some food. She figured you would be super busy cleaning up this dum…place.”

It was completely obvious what he was in the middle of actually saying but she agreed with him so she didn’t comment on it. “Thanks.” She walked down the steps as he approached her. “I’m Adelaide, which I am sure you already know.”

“Yeah, you’re all the town can talk about.”

“Hot new gossip am I?”

Sam shrugged. “Yeah, you’re the only thing to happen since that poet moved onto the beach.”

“Like in a tent?”

“Nah, a shack.” He held out the basket to her. “Don’t be too impressed it’s all from Joja.”

Years of working in customer service let her keep her face neutral and not drop the basket. “Tell your mom thanks. I briefly saw her on Tuesday at the shop.”

“If you were there Tuesday you probably meet all the older people, well women in town.”

“Maybe, there were like eight?”

“Yeah, you probably did.”

Adelaide tried to wrapped her head around that number probably accounted for a fourth of the town. She had spent so much time on her farm that she hadn’t had the proper time to really meet anyone.

“Well, see ya around. On Fridays almost everyone goes to the bar, you should come too.”

She nodded and Sam hopped back on his skateboard and took off down the road towards town. She really hoped that her pantlessness wouldn’t be the new talk of the town.


	2. Chapter 2

**SPRING YEAR 1**

Adelaide jotted down Willy’s request in her notebook. She really liked Willy and fishing wasn’t too bad, at least now that she was getting the hang of it. At first she wanted to chuck the rod into the ocean. The only reason she hadn’t was because she wasn’t about to litter in the ocean and it was a gift from Willy. Okay, maybe there were two reasons.

Before heading to the beach she stopped by the Mullners to give George her most recent haul of leeks. Ever since she found out they were his favorite Adelaide had been saving them whenever she came across them. The crop didn’t really sell for much and even if they did she would have still given them to George. She loved the way his face lit up when she bought some over. Her own grandfather never seemed that happy with anything she gave him.

She moved the basket to one hip so she could knock on the Mullner’s door. Nothing happened for a minute or two but she didn’t bother knocking again. It always took a bit for them to answer the door, especially if Alex was busy. She was still on the fence on that guy. Sure he was nice to look at but his attitude left much to be desired. Also he talked far too much about gridball. The door opened to reveal a shirtless slightly sweaty Alex. Adelaide was reminded he was defiantly the fittest guy she had come across. If she didn’t live in a tiny town, or if she was actually into that kind of thing, she wouldn’t have minded maybe having a fling.

“Hey Farm Girl.”

“Hey Town Boy”

Alex smirked, making his superman chin stand out and walked back into the house. She took that as permission to walk in. She saw him disappear down the hall and figured she had interrupted one of his many workouts.

“Hello George!” she called out as she walked into the kitchen. She saw Evelyn with what looked like every single pot or bucket they owned drying on towels. She set the basket down on a clear chair.

“Good morning dear,” said Evelyn.“It’s so kind of you to bring George his favorite.”

“No worries Mrs. Evelyn. May I ask what’s going on here?”

“The darn roof is patchy, that’s what.”

Both turned to see that George had made his way into the kitchen. He picked one up and bit right into it. That always made Adelaide want to wince, but she was use to it. Which was why she had taken to washing them all probably before bringing them over. The last thing she wanted to do was make George sick, that just might kill him. Also it would make Evelyn sad and make at least two people out of her blood. She was pretty sure the mayor kept a tally of all the good and bad things she did.

“That’s not good. Pierre was saying it’s going to be a rainy summer.”

“Yeah, well. No one around here is any good a climbing so I guess we’ll just deal with it.”

She looked down the hall at where Alex was most likely working out. She wondered why he couldn’t fix it but supposed she didn’t know them well enough to ask.

“Don’t tell him I told you this but Alex can’t balance too well on his knee anymore. We don’t want him up on the roof, just in case.”

“Oh. Well if you want I can fix it. I patched up my own roof last week.”

“Oh, dear we couldn’t possibly ask you to.”

“No worries, you’ve fed me at least five times already and I have so many of your cookies I could open a bakery.” She was almost sure Evelyn was refusing on the men’s behalf but she figured mentioning the cooking would make it seem less of an unbalanced deal.

“Well, you must let me cook for you afterward at least.”

Adelaide smiled, “Certainly.”

It took two days and a quick trip to Robin’s, where she finally met Maru, but she was able to fix the roof to look good as new. She was just putting on the final touches when a gridball bounced right in front of her. She stared at it. She knew exactly where it had come from. She also knew that Alex was far too good of a shot for this to have been an accident. Was he being petty about her fixing the roof while he couldn’t? She shook her head, no she should give him the benefit of the doubt. Just because she knew a bunch of rude gridball jocks in school didn’t mean Alex was one too. She stood with the ball in hand and walked till she could see him standing there. The smirk on his face definitely told her he had meant to do that. She also saw that Shane was there, which was really odd. She had never seen the two of them hang out. Even now he seemed super disinterested in being there.

Alex lifted his hand, “Toss it back, even you should be able to do it since it will be gravity doing all the work.”

Adelaide put on her best customer service smile. Alex didn’t seem to notices but she saw Shane lips twitch into an almost smile for a second. She plants her feet securely; the last thing she wants is to end up falling off the roof when she is being a little petty. After shifting she gives the ball a short sure throw. It lands squarely in Alex’s chest. A little fast then he was excepting. He grunts and Shane gives a snort. Alex glanced up at her but she can’t read his expression. She doesn’t really care at this point. She just turned back to her work. The results from her throw will either make Alex less of an annoyance or she had bruised his ego too much. Either way she dealt with it how she wanted to.

Not ten minutes late she cleans off the roof and heads down the ladder. Both Alex and Shane are gone. She doesn’t find him inside but she does find the most mouthwatering meal she had in years waiting for.

Evelyn smiles when she notices her, “Eat up dear. You’ve earned it.”

Stomach full and an extra serving of cookies in her bag Adelaide figures she better head of the beach. The roof distracted her from Willy’s request but she still had one day to get it. Maybe she lucked out and it will be in one of her traps.

She stopped just after she crossed the bridge that led to the beach. There is a tiny window on the shack that she can see but the curtain was drawn. She wondered if she should knock. After meeting Maru today she was pretty sure that the poet is the only person she hasn’t met yet. Though it might be weird if she just went up and knocked on his door or he might think her neighborly. Maybe he’d wonder why she waited so long to come say hi. Maybe she’d just tag along with Leah next time she hung out with him, that seemed to be the safest bet. She placed her arms on her hips and told her thoughts to calm down. There was no reason to think herself into a spiral. She was sure Mr. Poet was a perfectly nice guy. Like a real nice guy, not a “Nice Guy”

“Seriously, stop it,” she muttered. That’s when she noticed something glinting under the boat. Maybe it belonged to Mr. Poet and she could return it to him. Whatever it was she was sure it wouldn’t last long on the beach or it would get buried. This was a very sandy beach. She had already come across three missing items posters on the bulletin board. All of them were last seen on the beach. She crouched down to reach under the boat. She winced the paint under the hand flaked off but the boat was in pretty bad shape already so she figured she hadn’t ruined it. She picked up the shiny thing and sat back on her haunches. It was a metal etching of a large bird. The long pin made her figure it was a lapel pin. It seemed like the type of things a poet would have or a laird. Her leg muscle twitched so she stood before it could cramp. She looked up at the loud gasp at had accompanied her appearance. It was her turn to try to not gasp. Before her was a started man that she was sure was an old empire sculpture come to life. Everything about him was strong sure lines.

“You started me,” said the man, his voice having just a bit of lilt of the old isles. He might actually be a laird descendent.

“Oh, sorry.” She held up the pin. “I just saw this and figured I better pick it up.”

“Ah, yes.” He took it from her, making sure to not touch her fingers. She wondered if it was a thing of politeness or just of germs. Though if he lived in a shack on the beach she doubted it was because of germs.

“I had wondered where that had gone.”

“It’s a lapel pin, yes?”

“Yes, it is.”

“What kind of bird is that?”

“It’s supposes to be an albatross.”

“They are good luck for the sea right?”

“According to some,” His glass green eyes smiled at her and she felt her heart skip a beat. She smiled, sometimes, not often this would happen. She would find someone extremely attractive but then she would get to know them a little, just enough for them to a person instead of a “someone” and the feeling would go away. She was sure Mr. Poet would be no different. She should really learn his name though.

“Hello,” she held on her hand. “My name is Adelaide. I took over Clearwater Farm.”

He took her hand in his and kissed the air above her knuckles. “Hello, Adelaide. I’m Elliott. As you can tell I live in this little cabin. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise.” She made a mental note to stop referring to it as a shack. She was sure it was lovely on the inside.

“I am sure you know but your arrival has sparked many a conversation”

“Oh dear, what have you heard?”

He laughed, “Worry not, the same happened to me. We are novelties in an unchanging place.”

“That still doesn’t tell me what you’ve heard.”

“Nothing terrible, just pondering of what sort of person you have become and…” He stopped himself.

“And what?”

“Nothing of note.”

Adelaide stared at him, she knew there was more to it but she wasn’t sure if she should push the matter with someone she had just met. “Okay, I suppose I don’t really want to know what is being said about me.” Especially if Sam had blabbed about how they had met.

Elliott nodded. “I am on my way to the Saloon, I am to met Leah but I am certain she won’t mind if you come as well.”

Adelaide thought back to how that had kind of being her plan to end up meeting him. “Okay.”

Elliott smiled again and her heart did the same flip. Yes she really needed to get to know him, that way everything would stay uncomplicated.


	3. Chapter 3

**SUMMER YEAR 1**

Adelaide walked through the open door Leah’s cabin a little out of breath. One of her new chicken had decided to try and be a duck. It didn’t work out well for anyone, but at least she didn’t have to get a new chicken from Marnie. She paused when she saw that Leah was on the phone. From Leah’s tone of voice it didn’t seem like a good call.

Adelaide slowly tried to back out of the cabin, but since she hadn’t been there many times before she misjudged and smacked into the door frame. Leah glanced up at the sound. She blushed a little when she saw who was there. She hung up the phone cutting off whoever was on the other end.

“I suppose you heard some of that,” said Leah

“Not really, and I can pretend I didn’t.”

“No, no it’s fine. It was just my ex from the city, Kel. She didn’t believe that this move was a good idea.” Leah pause for a moment and Adelaide doesn’t dare to say anything. “She doesn’t think this whole art career is a good idea. She wants me to get something stable and keep art as a hobby. I just can’t do that. We were together so long so I suppose it was natural for her to want the whole nine yards but I wasn’t ready for that. I’m still not ready, maybe one day but…I ran away to Stardew Valley. Do you think that was selfish of me?”

Adelaide was taken back by the question. It wasn’t the first time someone had asked her something like this. She supposed that being an outside person hoped she could give an impartial answer, but it still made her feel uncomfortable. She didn’t want to be giving out life advice when she herself had just uprooted everything to escape.

“I don’t really know. I mean it’s important to care for yourself. And if you and your partner aren’t on the same page of where you want your relationship to go it’s good to not pretend. So maybe a little selfish but that’s okay.”

“That does make sense. Thanks for listening.” Leah smiled at her.Adelaide was reminded that Leah really does have a nice smile. She wished she would smile more but of course she would never say it like that in a million years. Working at Joja and living in the city had made her hate the phase, no matter how it was said.

“I’m glad I could help, though I did end my last relationship over the phone so I don’t know how good my advice is.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you about such a personal matter.”

Adelaide shook her head, “Don’t worry about it. I like to think we are friends even if we’ve only known each other for a short while.”

“I think so too.”

Adelaide hurried to the bar. She had stayed chatting with Leah a lot longer than she had planned. She was suppose to meet Elliott after his allotted long day of writing. They had taken to doing it whenever her farm work permitted. He liked having someone to bounce ideas off of or to talk to about a hard scene. Usually they met at his cabin or her farmhouse but today he wanted to meet at the Saloon. If he managed to break through the current chapter he wanted to celebrate. If he was still stuck they could always change venues but she had insisted on meeting at the bar. That way he the extra incentive to work through it.

She walked into Gus’s saloon so see the regular people there. Shane gave her a slight nod. She nodded back, he was still kinda distant but it was a relief after how nearly everyone in town wanted to know everything about her all the time. She spotted Elliott sitting at the corner table they usually sat when they had lunch with Leah.

“Adelaide, there you are. I was worried that your farm had waylaid you.”

She sat next to him. “The farm work wasn’t too difficult today. I stopped by Leah’s and stayed longer than I planned. Sorry if I kept you waiting for long.”

He waved away her worries, “Fear not. I haven’t been here long. Even if I had today’s writing when so well nothing could dampen my day.” He smiled brightly at her. “A full eight hours of words I can actually use.”

She smiled back at him, “That’s wonderful! I take it you broke through the hard bits.”

“Yes I have. Wait here.” He rested his hand on the mid of her back. “I shall get us drinks.”

She watched him walk up to the bar. She couldn’t hear what he said to Gus but whatever it was he didn’t look too pleased about it. When he came back with the drinks he gave her a slight bow.

“For you, my lady.”

Adelaide took it with a smile. Usual she wasn’t too impressed with such showmanship but on Elliott it always felt genuine. “Thank you good sir.”

Before long most of the causal patrons had left, it was in the middle of the week after all. The town doctor waved at her as he left.

“He’s one too.”

She turns her attention back to Elliott, confused since they hadn’t really been talking about anything. His face was just a bit red.

“One what?”

“A newbie, like me.” He saluted his cup at her. “And you, well not too much like you. You have roots here, that’s enough for the folks.”

They had talked about the gossips before, just briefly. It wasn’t something that really interested either of them so she was surprised he was bringing it up. “Enough of what?”

“To be part of the community.” He took another swig.

She leaned closer to him, concerned. “Do you feel left out?”

He smiled at her so beautifully it made her heart skip a beat. “No, my sweet darling I don’t. What I mean is that your grandfather’s family had roots here so by extension they think they know you will be like. There isn’t a chance of having a crazy cousin in the attic.”

Adelaide giggled, “Is there something you want to tell me Mr. Rochester?”

“I have no cousins, or wives for that matter, locked in an attic.”

“Good, good.” She finished the last of her mug. “If they don’t have time to wonder about the contents of my attic what do they wonder?”

“Who you will marry.”

Adelaide was glad she had finished her drink because she was pretty sure she would have chocked on it. “What?”

“You are young and unmarried.” He gestured around the bar. “The town has few families it in. You are nice “fresh blood”. “

She could hear the quotes he put around the last words. “Didn’t you just say I was from here? That’s not very fresh.”

“I suppose they count your father’s blood as fresh enough.” Elliott leans in closer so that their noses nearly touch. “Do you want to know another secret?” She nodded. “I am suppose to stay away from you.” His voice was so low she almost couldn’t hear it over the din of the saloon.

“What? Why?”

“Harvey too. And Shane but those are for different reasons.” He paused, finally notices how closer they were. He looked down at his mug; his nose wrinkled as if finding the contents distasteful. His eyes darted to something over her shoulder. She turned to look to see Pam watching them. Pam winked when she caught her eye.

“I think we should go before they have something certain to gossip about. Let’s keep the mystery alive.”

“We aren’t doing anything like that.”

“True, but they love to wonder.” He placed the unfinished mug down before standing. He swayed a little. She stood quickly to help him but felt the room sway. While she wasn’t drunk she certainly had a health buzz going.

“Will you two be okay?”

Adelaide turned slowly to see that Emily had popped up beside them.

“Yes, I just need to take it slow.” She vaguely at Elliott. “I can take him home.” She felt Elliott take her hand in his. She turned to him. He kept steady eye contact with her as he lowered his head to kiss the air millimeters above her hand. The resulting flush seemed to go unnoticed by him.

“I thank tee, dear knight.”

“Right, let's go.” She moved her hand so she was more fully holding his before leading him out of the saloon.

The short walk to his cabin passed without incident. Even the uneven sand didn’t seem to phase him, which she was thankful for. She was strong but she didn’t think she would be able to lift his dead weight. They stopped outside his door when he turned to look out across the ocean. The full moon shone across the waves.

“I love the beach.” Elliott turned around. “I love the mountains.” He raised his arms high. “There is such beauty in the world.” He looked down at her. “In people, in everyone.”

“Yes the world is lovely. Shall we admire the inside of your lovely cabin?”

“Yes, let’s.” He took her hand again before pushing through the unlocked door. It was dark and just a touch cool inside. Elliott released her to walk towards the small lamp near his bed. a soft glow filled the cabin. He somehow managed to flop gracefully face down into his pillow.

“Oh!” Adelaide rushed forward. “Elliott you really shouldn’t sleep in your day clothes.”

He turned his head to look at her. Most of his face was obscured by his hair. “I don’t mind.”

“Maybe you don’t,” She didn’t resist the urge to brush his hair behind his ear. “But what about morning you?”

“Morning me will miss remembering this evening with you.”

Out of all the things he could have said she certainly wasn’t excepting that. He moved onto his back and was staring at her again. He started to speak in a language she hadn’t studied since high school. She only caught a few of the words and meanings. It was something about sleeping or maybe birds. The words didn’t matter; it was the way he was saying them. The way his eyes, which had been unfocused from drink before, were now intensely fixated on her. His voice dropped lower as his hand reached out for a strand of her hair. It was too short for him to kiss without either of them moving much closer to each other. Instead he rolled it a few times before letting go. He let out a deep sigh before closing his eyes.

When Adelaide remembered how to breathe again she stepped back. She pressed her hand over heart willing it to stop beating so fast. It complied after a minute.

“Okay,” Adelaide whispered to herself. She straighten out his legs to keep him from cramping up later and removed his shoes. She could do much else to make him comfortable. Though she removed his cravat and unbutton his overcoat, just in case. She covered him with the light blanket from the edge of the bed. She walked over to his small kitchen to get him a glass of water. She had only heavy drunk twice in her life but both times she had woken up parched so she figured he would appreciate it. The glass clinked when she set it on the bedside table. Elliott stirred at the sound but didn’t wake. Careful to avoid the few creaky floorboards Adelaide left his cabin.

The ocean breeze felt blissful against her flushed cheeks. She pressed her hand to her face as she walked into town. Why was Elliott affecting her this way. She had only been here for….She stopped walking. It was five months; she had already been here for nearly have a year.

The bush next to her gave made an odd sound. Well, she admitted to herself, any sound would be odd coming from a bush. Maybe something was stuck in it. She approached the bush carefully as she drew the dagger she kept in her boot out. No sense in becoming the beginning of a horror movie. She was nearly standing at the bush when two people burst out of it.

“Oh!” she closes her eyes, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what they were doing but what was surprising was the fact that it was the mayor and Marine. Adelaide stood there for a few moments. Mainly to give the two time to run away but mainly cause she was trying to wrap her head around the fact that two unattached grown people were getting busy in a bush. She opened her eyes to see absolutely no one. She decides to talk the path through the town to get home. She really didn’t want to walk pass Marine’s farm at the moment.


	4. Chapter 4

**SUMMER YEAR 1**

She was starting to feel like maybe she was spending too much time going to the beach. Though she promised herself today was just for scavenging. If Elliott came out while she was there, so be it.

When she got to the beach she found very few shells and one gird ball tossing jock. While they weren’t on the best of terms, he had seemed less keen on giving her veiled insults.

“Yo! Allison!”

“It’s Adelaide.”

“It was close enough.”

“Sure, Albert, it’s close enough. Do you want something or are you just saying hi?”

Alex tossed the gridball higher, “How about some more catch?”

“Why?”

“Cause it’s fun?”

She was about to make a snapped comeback but he did genuinely seem like he wanted to just have some fun. Maybe he was one of the people who just couldn’t apologize or admit fault. Instead they tried to do something nice. She didn’t put much stock by the practice, words were far more important to say out loud. However she wasn’t a therapist so it really wasn’t her job to psychoanalyze him.

“Fine.” She held up her hands. “Let’s do this.”

A few minutes where she tossed it poorly, mainly cause she wasn’t putting much care into it, Alex walked over to her.

“If you want I can teach you how to throw properly?”

“No thanks, I’m just not in the mood much today. Maybe later?”

“It wouldn’t take long.”

“I’m good.” She looked over to where Willy was fishing on the pier. Maybe she could use him as an excuse to just leave.

“It really won’t take long.” He shifted so he was standing even with her.

“Alex, I really don’t want to right now.”

He didn’t seem to hear her since he started to explain about proper gripping. She suppressed the urge to beam him with her shovel. All the charitable thoughts she had before disappeared. Maybe he wasn’t trying to mend anything and just wanted to show off. He hadn’t listened to a word she said. She figured he wouldn’t even notice if she just walked away.

She was debating the consequences of that when pain exploded across her face. She cried out, nearly doubling over. A horrid cooper taste filled her mouth. She bought her hands up to her face but quickly pulls them away when the pain spiked. Her hands came away spotted with blood. Confused she looked up to see Alex staring at her in horror.

“I…I…” His hand was shaking when it reached of her, but he pulled away before he touched her.

“Adelaide!” She looked up to Willy walking towards them but she was sure it wasn’t him to called her name. Familiar hands came to rest on her shoulders. Elliott came into view when Alex backed away.

“Wh-“ started Adelaide but a cough took over. It felt thick like when she had a cold. Quickly Elliott pulled out his handkerchief. He wiped her mouth before very gentle placing it against her nose. That’s when it clicked for her. Her nose was bleeding, a lot.

“Here, let me see,” said Willy. Elliott moved just he slightest bit and she turned to face Willy. “I’m going to touch your face, okay? I need to check it.”

“Okay.” she was glad she didn’t have to cough that time. He gently pressed against her nose and cheeks. She winced a little but it didn’t hurt nearly as much as before.

“I don’t think it’s broken, but you should still go to the Doc’s since you do seem to be bleeding a lot.” Wally looked back at something she couldn’t see. “Elliott why don’t you take her?”

“Yes, of course.” He turned to her. “Are you ready? Can you walk?”

“Yes I can walk. We will be enough of a spectacle without you carrying me across town.”

“I don’t mind if you need it.”

“I don’t really.” She tried to smile but it hurt too much. Elliott frowned at her wince of pain.

“Come on, let’s go.” He wrapped one arm around her and held her hand with the other.

Thankfully they didn’t run into anyone on their way to the clinic. Though she did see Abby stare wide-eyed at them when she exited her father’s shop. Elliott ushered her in before she could say anything.

Inside Harvey was manning the front desk. He took one look at her and hurried them back to the exam room. Elliott went to leave after helping her up onto the exam table but she kept a tight hold on his hand. He moved so he wouldn’t be in Harvey’s way but he didn’t let go of her hand.

“Well, there’s good news,” said Harvey when he was done. “Nothing is broken and there doesn’t seem to be extensive damage. The bleeding has slowed but to be safe I want you to stay here till it’s stopped.” He placed a metal bin next to her with a tissue box. She had long soaked through Elliott’s handkerchief.

“Do I have to do anything for it?”

“Ice it on and off for the next few days. Try not to touch it and don’t blow your nose a lot if you can avoid it. I will write out detailed instructions. Call me if you need anything or when the bleeding stops.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

Harvey nodded before leaving them in silence. She let out a deep sigh. The adrenaline had worn off so her face was throbbing in time with her pulse. She looked down to see her clothes had blood splatter on them. No wonder Abby had been staring at them. She glanced over at Elliott.

“How are you feeling?” he rubbed his thumb along her knuckles.

“Like my face is going to fall off.” She tried to make light of it but it only made Elliott frown. She didn’t like it when he frowned, she had gotten use to his smile. Her fingers started to feel damp so she switched out her tissue. He didn’t say anything which surprised her. Elliott was always ready with words.

“Are you okay?”

“Am I okay? I wasn’t the one hit in the face.”

“True, but you looked like someone kicked your puppy.”

“Someone elbowed my friend, who is far more important than a puppy.”

“Oh.” She felt her cheeks warm, it was surprising to find out she still had enough face blood left to blush. Though if she thought about it she supposed it didn’t work that way. Blood traveled everywhere, it didn’t just stay in one place. That’s why blood poisoning was so bad. At least she thought so, she only ever had one year of health education. She felt Elliott squeeze her hand.

“Are you sure you are okay? You spaced out for a moment?”

“Yes, I got distracted. Thank you for being here.”

“As I said before, we are friends. It’s no trouble.”

She wanted to smile at him but she remembered that it had hurt last time so she settled for a nod.

Adelaide checked herself in the mirror Leah had by her door. The bruising had turned into the sickly yellow-green color. Her light brown skin hid it for plain view but people still noticed that something was off. At least at the festival tonight it would be dark.

“It’s looking much better,” said Leah as she joined her by the door.

“I suppose. I mainly just look like a plague victim now instead of a bawler.”

Leah laughed, “Come now, it’s not that bad.” She hooked her arm with Adelaide’s as they left the cabin. There was just the slightest ray of light left in the sky. They both stopped for a minute. She loved sunsets even since she could remember. Her hometown always had the most beautiful ones. Pelican Town came in a far second but that didn’t mean she still couldn’t enjoy them.

They continued on shortly, not wanting to have to walk to the beach in full dark or miss the jellyfish.

“How is the art show plans coming along?”

“It’s going better well, convincing Major Lewis was the hardest part.”

“That doesn’t make much sense. He’s always going on about needing to improve the town and bring in more business.”

“I think he thinks since the art show it a temporary thing it’s not useful.” Leah worried her lip. “I really hope everything goes well. I have contacted some other local artists. There is a bunch in Calico but with the bus down it’s hard for some of them to get here.”

“That is hard.” She thought about the small creatures she had found in the community center and the list they had given her. The bus was on there but it was so much money. She was barely making even right now and she still needed to fix the barn so she could get some larger animals. The three sprinklers she had just gotten should maker her workload a little easier next season, she just hoped it was enough to stay in the black.

Both were lost in thoughts of the future as they reached the beach. The sunset had turned to twilight, everyone else had already reached the beach.

She saw Alex talking to Haley on the pier. He caught her eye but quickly looked away. He had sent her a letter to apologize but hadn’t actually spoken to her since. She figured tonight won’t be the right time to have the conversation.

The two of them walked over to the small table outside Wally’s shop where Pam was handing out drinks. She took a cup with a worried glance at the bowl.

“Don’t worry. The Moonlight Jellies deserve to be seen in all their glory. It’s just plain good punch,” said Pam. However she also winked so Adelaide wasn’t sure how to take it. She sipped her drink, it tasted like plain watery punch. Leah waved to someone so she looked over. Elliott was talking to Robin. When he saw them he waved.

“He’s just so pretty.”

“Leah!” hissed Adelaide.

“Well, he is.” Leah nudged her. “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed. I’ve noticed.”

She lead her away from Pam. Sober Pam could keep a secret but she was never around for long. The last thing she wanted to for Elliott to think she had a schoolgirl crush on him. She was afraid it was becoming something much, much more.

“Look,” she said when they were at the clear section of the pier. “He’s very pretty but that’s not here or there.”

“Where is it then?”

“I just mean…we’re friends. I like being friends. It’s nice.”

“No, Elliott and I are friends. You and I are friends. You and him are something else.”

“I…what?”

“Look, do what you want but don’t be afraid to do something cause it will ruin everything else. You moved here didn’t you?”

“Yes, but I didn’t have anything nice to ruin by doing that just shitty things. This place is tiny, I will basically have to marry the person I start dating.”

“Not really. I’ve dated someone and it didn’t work out and we are still friends.”

“Who?” It came out sharper then she mean. She cleared her throat. “I mean do you mind telling me?”

“It was Emily.”

“Emily is super special. Of course that would work with her.”

Leah looked at her straight in the eye. It was a little disconcerting. “Do you honestly think Elliott would treat you badly if things soured between you?”

“I…no, I don’t think he would.”

“Elliott is good too, he understands emotions just like Emily. He just express them in a different way.” She looked at someone behind her. “Whatever is happening just do what you want and what feels right for you and whoever it involves, beach bum or not.”

Barely a minute later Elliott joined them. He smiled and her heart warmed. “Hello ladies.”

Leah lifted her cup to him. He turned his full attention to Adelaide. His eyes dart around her face but she knew the light was too low for him to make how the bruises.

“They’re are fading pretty well,” she said to his unasked question.

“Good I am glad. Is the pain doing better?”

“For the most part. It’s at the annoying stage where it doesn’t hurt all the time so sometimes I forgot and touch my face. Then I strongly remember.”

Elliott winced, “Yes, I understand the sentiment.”

Leah lean forward, “Wait…does our great gentleman poet get into fisticuffs?”

“Hardly, but I have fallen out of a tree.”

“Why?” asked Adelaide.

Even in the low light she could tell he was blushing. “Well, it was in my more youthful days…I thought I could make my girlfriend fall more in love with me by serenading her from the tree near her window.” Leah laughed and his blush grew deeper.

“Did it work?”

“No.”

“Was it because you fell out of the tree?” asked Leah after she got her laughter under control.

“I didn’t ask. The worse part is that I landed on her father’s car. Thankfully I didn’t dent anything.”

“Was he mad about the car?”

“He was more amused about the whole situation than anything. He made sure I didn’t break anything before sending me on my way.”

“That’s good. Unless you were heartbroken over it”

Elliott shook his head. “No, it was more of me being in love with the idea of love. I am actually glad she didn’t love me back. It would have been unfair to her.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t worry. Now when I do fall I make sure it’s the person of a person and not an idea. It’s more painful but far more real.” The words weren’t directed at her, at least she didn’t think so but the convection of his words made her breath catch.

Before she said anything stupid Lewis announced the viewing would be starting soon. The three of them lined up closer to the edge of the pier. This would be her first time watching it. It was almost all villagers could talk about for the past two weeks. They built it up to be something magical and she really hoped it was.

Soon the jellyfish started to appear. They glowed softly as they passed by in the shallow waters. She watched them go, waiting to feel something extra. They were indeed pretty but it was the same sort of pretty as the sunset early had been. She couldn’t feel anything super special about it. She glanced around and saw that just about everyone else was still watching the main grouping of the jellyfish go by. She turned her attention back to the water, a little disappointed. She feel bad about thinking that they were disappointing. She sent out a silent apology to the moonlight jellies. It wasn’t their fault everyone had raised her exceptions. She dutifully watched them all swimming by, even the funny little green one.


	5. Chapter 5

**AUTUMN YEAR 1**

Her plan did not work, not even a little. She had now spent a great deal of time with Elliott. In fact she would call him one of her closest friends. Her heart had stopped skipping a beat everything she saw him. She wondered if she should see Harvey about it. Maybe she had developed a sudden condition. After that day of the beach a few weeks ago she couldn’t stop thinking about him. He smiled when he saw her now and every time that smile warm her heart. Things had most certainly not stayed uncomplicated.

Luckily the autumn harvest had kept her busy for the last week or so. Also she had to prepare everything for winter. Which why she was currently sweeping the last of the dead who knows what, maybe old hay, in her old barn. She was sure one more winter would totally ruin what was left of her barn roof. All of the major items had been moved out already.

“Hey Boss!”

Adelaide looked up to see Alex silhouetted in the barn doors. She had hired a few people to help her clean it out. Leah, Sam and Alex had been very helpful in moving all the big stuff. Emily would bring them food at the end of the day which was good sincenone of them had much energy to do anything by the time they were done.

“Alex, you don’t have to call me that.”

“I know, but I think it’s fun. If you don’t like it I can stop.” He shifted uncomfortably. He was still a little on edge since the beach accident. She was sure the main reason he took the job was guilt. There wasn’t much she could do about that, only hope that he would loosen up soon.

“I don’t mind that much. What do you need?”

“Food’s here.”

“Great!” She raked up the last pile and followed Alex out of the barn. The sun was setting which surprised her, she didn’t think it was that late. Then she remembered the valley had a much greater difference in day lengths than she was use to. She was not looking forward to winter. Alex kept pace with her as they headed to the farmhouse. Emily was already handing out food to Leah and Sam. The person with her made Adelaide falter in her steps.

“You okay?” asked Alex looking down at her.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine.” She looked back up at her pouch where Elliott stood with Emily pouring something into a glass before he handed it to Sam. He hadn’t noticed them yet so she was able to watch him. He had rolled up his sleeves. It was something she had never seen on him before but it was something she found oddly alluring. It wasn’t like she needed another reason to find him attractive. She was glad she could blame her flushed face on the work she had just finished.

As soon as she finished the thought Elliott looked up. A smile bloomed across his face. She couldn’t help but smile back.

“Adelaide,” Elliott handed her a drink, “Sam was just letting me that you have finished with the barn today.”

“Yeah, we just have to haul away the last of it to the compost site. Marine is lending me her trailer for that tomorrow.”

“If you wish I could help you with that. At last I have finished with my needed chapters.”

“That’s okay, it’s not that much. Marine already promised that Shane would help, but if he doesn’t show I’ll let you know.”

“Good job on all the hard work!” Emily handed her a sandwich wrapped in wax paper.

“Thanks Emily.” She looked back at Elliott. “Aren’t you going to have one?”

“I didn’t do any work so I don’t think it would be fair to have one.”

She gave him a level look. “Have you eaten today?”

The blush the spread across his cheeks was the only answer she needed. She turned to Emily.

“Emily is it okay if Elliott has a sandwich?”

“Of course, I bought plenty.” She gave Elliott a sandwich before they joined the rest on the steps to enjoy the meal.

Adelaide let the conversation wash over her. She made a few comments here or there but she was mainly focused on the peaceful feeling she had. She looked over the land her grandfather gave her. Even with the shabby barn it was looking a lot better than when she had arrived. The land was mainly cleared and the coop was bustling with chickens roaming about. Most of her crops had already been harvested for the season. She looked back at all her friends, surprised that she could call them such. For the first time in a long time she felt happy and content.

She lend back a little only to run into Elliott’s legs. “Sorry.” She was about to move when he placed a hand on her shoulder.

“It’s okay. You can lean against me if you like.”

She would like it very much, probably more than he would think was proper. However she pushed the thought down and simply nodded. He shifted his legs a little so that his knees didn’t dig into her back. She noticed Leah was trying to caught her eye. When she looked at her Leah gave her a look that she hoped none of the others saw. She wrinkled her nose at her. Leah shook her head before turning her attention back to Sam’s story.

Adelaide parked Marine’s truck after she back up near the current compost pile. Shane hadn’t talked much apart from giving direction on the way here but she didn’t mind. Even now he was silent as he got out of the truck. She joined him and together the unloaded the last of her barn waste. She tossed him a bottle of water which he caught with ease.

“Good catch.”

“Yeah.”

“Marine mentioned you played gridball in high school.”

Shane shrugged. “I did.”

“Did you ever play with Alex?”

“We didn’t go to the same school. Even if we did I graduated before he would have gotten there.”

“Oh right, you don’t live here, but you are from the valley right?”

Shane gave her a side eye, which wasn’t too surprising. She was pretty sure this was the most personal conversation they had.

“Yeah, my dad had the same idea your mom did. But he stayed a lot closer. He moved to West Port. It’s the dumbest name ever. It’s just about everything in the valley is west of it and it doesn’t have a port.”

“That is odd.”

“Do you know why your mom moved so far away? I mean if she wanted a big city Zuzu City is right there.”

“I don’t know really. She didn’t talk much about living here. She just told me that I was crazy to want to come live in the place like this. Also not to give my heart out to just any pretty face, which is super weird cause she never said anything like that before.”

“Hmm.” Apparently they were done talking cause Shane push off the truck. “I can drive us back if you want.”

“Okay, sure.”

The last week of Autumn passed quickly and before she knew it was time for Spirit’s Eve. She walked into the town square to see it completely transformed. The lamp posts were all out and replaced with touches or what looked like spirit lights. Those must be the work of the wizard. She had only met him once or twice but that was enough to convince her that he was a very real deal.

She bypassed the maze for now and headed to where most of the villagers were gathered at the festival tables. Before she can get very far Mayor Lewis steps up to her.

“Adelaide! Just who I wanted to see.”

“Hello Mayor.” She still felt a little awkward around him ever since she had to return his…personal effects from Marine’s bedroom. She just didn’t understand why he could do it himself or why they were keeping it a secret.

“No need to be so formal. Your grandfather and I go way back.”

“You do keep telling me stories about him.” While he claimed not to be formal she was pretty sure he was about to ask her to undertake some other task.

“I was wondering how you were coming along helping out everyone?”

Well, at least it wasn’t a new task, “I’m working on it. I need to make sure my farm is running before I do much else.”

“Right, right.” He patted her on the back which made her want to elbow him but instead she just shifted away from him. “Just try to work on that as soon as you can.”

She wanted to ask him why he wasn’t doing anything more to help the town but she wanted to stay civil.

“Sure thing.” She walked away before she could say much else. She saw the skeletons and walked over to them. She didn’t want to talk to anyone for a moment. She didn’t know what but Lewis just really bothered her. For whatever reason the whole town loved him. Maybe no one knew how close everything was to falling apart. For whatever reason Lewis was happy to complain to her about all the problems that had fallen on town in recent years. He kept going on about how the town wasn’t what it use to be. However he was the mayor and there wasn’t even a council. He had the power to do just about anything. Yet he didn’t like Leah’s idea that would certainly bring in more people. She crossed her arms as she stared at the skeletons. It just didn’t make sense. She was suddenly reminded of the opening song from a musical. She wondered just how well that song would fit into this situation.

“They look pretty cool, don’t they?”

She looked to her right and saw Sebastian. If she wasn’t mistaken this would be the first time he spoke to her first. “Yeah, they are.”

“I wonder where Marlon gets all the parts. Maru works with robots but those are metal square with plenty of space for parts. I wonder where the parts of these are.”

She paused trying to figure out what he was talking about. “Parts?”

“Yeah, for the skeletons.”

Oh. He thought these were mechanical. While she had never encountered skeletons in the mine before. Marlon had told her the deeper into the mines she when the stronger and stranger the creatures became.

“I don’t know, maybe he makes everything.”

“That would be cool.”

“It would be.” She glanced over at Marlon who lifted a finger to his lips. She smiled at that. She walked over to him. “These aren’t automatons are they?”

“Do you see any gears?”

“Nope.”

“There is your answer.” He glanced at someone over his shoulder and his frown deepened. She looked behind her to see Lewis was talking to Marine but she didn’t seem happy. A few seconds later she took Jas by the hand and they walked toward the punch table. She heard Marlon give a huff. “I fail to see why she puts up with that.”

While his words were angry his face looked sad. “You know about them?”

“Yes.”

“Does the whole town know?”

“I don’t think so. Pam does but that mainly cause she’s out late at night. I believe Shane knows too. And you apparently.”

“Yeah, I caught them in a bush. Maybe it’s a small town thing but I didn’t even know that actually happened outside of movies.”

“I didn't know they did that. How…odd.”

“That’s one word for it. I hope I’m not overstepping but why don’t you say anything?”

Marlon shook his head. “I don’t want to make her uncomfortable. She has made her choice.”

“Does she know she hasoptions?”

“Meaning?”

“Have you asked her out or anything? It’s not like they are public so there is no reason for you not to ask. Maybe she would like it or maybe it would make the mayor move his butt. That would suck for you but it would make her happier if the mayor was open about her.”

“Is that suppose to be comforting?”

“Kinda?”

“I suggest leaving the bedside manners to Maru or the doctor.”

“Fine, fine. I will.” She looked into the maze, wondering if she could go explore it.

“There is a hidden prize if you are brave enough.”

“I’ve been to the mine and there are skeletons outside here. What is in the mine that could top that?”

“That would be a question to ask the wizard.”

She glanced back at the maze. If the wizard did indeed make it maybe she should just stay out here. She shook her head to get rid of that thought. She had seen a few people go in, even Penny went in. She was sure it would be fine.

The maze took her longer excepted but that was because she got distracted by three rescue missions. The secret passage she finally found was dark but since it was a small tunnel she wasn’t too worried. It wasn’t very long so within a few minutes she had found the special prize; a golden pumpkin. She was sure she could see it for a pretty penny but she didn’t know it that was a good idea. Especially not after coming across a Baba Yaga or those far too real hands. The strange impulse came over her to bow so she did before tucked the pumpkin into the bag. She backtracked through the maze much faster and was some back with the other villagers. Everything seemed normal. Just about everyone was at the tables. It was nearly midnight. Jas was asleep slumped against Shane’s chest while Marine was nowhere to be seen. She really hoped she wasn’t visiting with the Mayor.

She walked passed where Vincent was trying very hard to stay awake. Sam was telling some animated story to keep him up. She spotted Abby and walked over to her.

“Hey Abby.”

“Hi! Thanks for the rescue early.” She shivered. “I can handle anything but spiders. The one in that maze are just so super worse than normal. Maybe it’s cause they are super-sized.”

“Maybe. Do you know why they don’t take the kids home? I’m sure they would like to be in bed by now.”

Abby laughed but sobered when Adelaide didn’t join in. “Oh. you really don’t know?”

“I don’t.”

“But didn’t your mom grow up here?”

“Yeah, but she never like this holiday or many others for that matter.”

“Well, at midnight we are all suppose to make a bunch of noise. It’s suppose to warn away spirits that mean us harm. Or set off firecrackers. The kids could go to bed. It’s not like you will have bad luck if you aren’t noisy at midnight but what kid doesn’t what a reason to scream and shout.”

“Even Jas?”

“Even her, I think she likes it because it’s novel. Vincent just comes that way. Sam and I always competed to see who could scream louder when we were kids.”

“Not Sebastian?”

“Nah, he thought he was too cool for a while, but I think he’s getting back into it now. This year the rest of the girls and I plan on shouting together if you want to join us.”

“Sure.”

“Let’s go then.” Abby took her hand before leading her to gather the others.

Once they had gathered the rest of the girls they stood in a circle in the backyard of Emily’s and Haley’s house. She saw that Jas was now awake and on Shane’s shoulders. He actually looked happy for once. Sam help Vincent stand on a chair. Abby squeezed her hand. She looked at her.

“They are going to start ringing the bell. After the third ring scream, shout or whatever as loud as you want. It usually lasts about a minute but you can stop before that, the bell will keep going to the end.”

“Okay.”

“It will be fun,” said Leah who held her other hand.

There was a moment of pregnant silence while everyone waited for the bell to start. She looked around the rest of the circle. Everyone was grinning, full of sudden energy. She wondered if she would be able to shout like the rest or if years of being told to not be loud would win over. The bell started. She took in a deep breath to get ready. On the third rings the rest of the circle lifted their arms pulling hers up as well. Adelaide’s voice rang out. She wasn’t sure where hers began and others started but she knew her voice was among all of them. That was the point she thought, to bring them all together and make them one. She didn’t last the full minute but still felt giddy.

When Abby let go of her hand she wrapped her arms around Leah. Leah laughed before hugging her back. She felt full and light.

“Hey there,” said Leah. “Did you have fun?”

“Apparently. It felt amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever shouted for anything like that.”

“That’s part of the charm. Now are you ready for the real party?”

“What?” She looked around, sure enough only while Sebastian was leaving with Abby and Sam hot on his heels, everyone else seemed to be staying.

“Now we eat and talk. It’s suppose help make sure spirits keep away.”

“Does the valley have a spirit problem?” Adelaide thought about the little creatures that help her in the community center.

“I don’t know, but it can’t hurt.” She shifted so that she was only holding her hand. “Let’s go see if lover boy saved you a seat.”

She blushed, “Elliott is not my lover boy.”

“I didn’t mention a name.”

“Yeah, but we both know who you meant.”

Elliott had in fact saved them a seat. He smiled at her when they joined him.

“I seem to be supplying you sustenance as of late,” said Elliott when she sat across from him.

“So it seems.” She couldn’t keep the smile off her face for the rest of the meal. Not even Leah’s periodic snickers damped her smile. Though she did kick her under the table once or twice.


	6. Chapter 6

**WINTER YEAR 1**

Every muscle in her body ached. It had taken her nearly all season but was finally ready to complete one of the tasks the Junimos had given her. She wasn’t sure what she was suppose to do with minecarts but for now it was the only task she had any hope for completing. While she was managing to stay on the red, she really wasn’t making enough to get the bus going. Maybe she would after she totally up all of the winter’s mining exploration. After all she had found a great deal of gems.

With careful hands she placed the last of the void essences on to the alter. No sooner had she set them down did a great number of Junimo appear around her.

“Oh!” Adelaide looked around to see that they were all hopping up and down in excitement. One by one they started to bustle around the room. From what seemed to her one blink to the next the room changed to be in pristine condition. The stonework was replaced and the boiler gave off a pleasant warmth against the winter’s chill.

“Well this may be hard to explain to everyone.” She left the room to see that the rest of the community center was in the same condition. She suppose that as she completed each task each room would become repaired.

The cold air was a harsh contrast when she exited the building. If she hurried she was sure she could still meet Elliott and Leah at her cottage for the party. Luckily she didn’t slip on any ice patches as she made her way to Leah’s cottage.

She let herself in without knocking since Leah had given her the go ahead. The other two had already gathered in front of the fire. She kicked off her shoes before joining them.

“Happy Birthday!” She gave Leah a hug when she sat down.

“Hey, Adelaide, we were just thinking you were going to miss it.”

“Sorry, I keep forgetting how much longer things take with snow.”

“No worries, we saved the cake cutting till you got here.” She nodded over to Elliott. “Elliott made me a cake too.”

“I did indeed.” He rose to get it. He placed a small single layer cake with white frosting and wild berries decorating it in front of Leah. It only had a long candle on it already lit. He looked at Adelaide. “Ready?”

“Yep!” Together they started to sing to Leah. After the song was over Leah’s shut her eyes tight before blowing out the candle. Elliott and Adelaide cheered.

“Let’s eat!” Very unceremoniously all three of them cut right into the cake. Adelaide placed an extra berry on Leah’s fork. It wasn’t before long that most of the cake was gone.

“So tell me, what great adventure were you on today?”

“I meant to do it last night but I lost track of time in the mines. I really didn’t want the good doctor to yell at me again so I hurried home without stopping.”

Elliott frowned, “You must be more cautious. I know you have been going there all winter but you can’t lose track of time.”

“Geez Elliott, you sound like her dad,” teased Leah.

“I most certainly do not.” He looked so off-put by the notion that she had concentrate very hard to not laugh. “I just care about her well being. I don’t need to be her father to worry about that.”

She placed her hand on his arm. “It’s okay Elliott. I don’t mind you worrying about me. I think it’s sweet. But you don’t have to, every time I got I let Marlon know I will be down there.”

“That’s good.”

“Yes, so don’t worry so much.”

“I will try.”

“Now that that is settled…” Leah held on her hands and made a grabbing motion. “Gimme my presents.”

“Who said we bought gifts?” She turned to Elliott her eyes wide.

“Correct.” He widened his eyes to match her. “I bought no such thing.”

“Ha. Ha. You two are just soooo funny. You should host a radio show.”

She grinned. “We are.”

Leah stuck her tongue out at her and then Elliott.

“Fine, fine.” She reached into her pocket and handed Leah a small wrapped bundle. “Since you asked so nicely here you go. Happy Birthday Leah.”

“Thanks.” She took it from her to unwrap it. The cloth fell away to reveal a small compass on a chain. “Oh, wow.”

“I thought this could help you when you go exploring. I know you’re good at it, but like Elliott pointed out you can never be too careful.”

“No, it’s wonderful.” She slipped it on. “Thank you.” She reached over to hug her. She turned to Elliot who had his present ready and waiting.

“Happy Birthday and many happy returns.” Elliott handed her the present.

She unwrapped it to find a set of watercolors.

“I remember saying you wanted to branch out with mediums. I have always found watercolors relaxing so I thought maybe you could start there.”

“Thank you Elliot. I love it.”

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly. Adelaide and Elliot started to head out before the sun got too low. On the main path he turned to her.

“Shall I walk you home?”

“Elliot, I live in the complete opposite direction of you.”

“Yes, I know but I want to see you home. It’s gentlemanly.”

“If I do this,” she leaned far to the left, “I can see my property line. The whole point of us leaving now is so that we don’t have to walk on in the cold and dark. I will be on my land. Jack is probably waiting for me, he can see me home safe the rest of the way.”

“I suppose…”

“How about you call me when you get home? That way we can both make sure we got there safely.”

Elliott nodded. “I do like that plan.” He took her hand in his. Their gloves kept her from feeling any of his warmth but her hand started to tingle all the same. He lifted it to his lips to his the air just above her knuckles. “I shall bid you farewell here.”

“Goodbye Elliott. I will wait for your call.”

A few days later Adelaide was waiting to give someone else a present. This time it was for the Feast of the Winter Star. She had arrived late to the festival. Her present this year had to be fresh. It would be really bad if she messed up her first year of gift-giving in Pelican Town. Looking around she saw that most people were already giving out gifts. She scanned the crowd for Alex. Spotting him, she headed over.

“Hey Alex.”

He turned to her. “Hey Adelaide, you having a good time?”

“Yeah, it’s a pretty nice set-up.” There was a pause where she could tell Alex was trying to say something so she waited.

“Look, I know I’ve said it before but I really do think we got off on the wrong foot. You’re pretty cool and I am sorry for what I did before.”

“Alex, I get it. So long as you’ve learned from it and don’t do it again, it’s all good.”

“Okay.” He held out his hand “Friends?”

“Sure,” she took his hand in hers, “Friends. It’s a good thing too cause it would be super awkward if we were still at odds and I had to give you your gift.” She presented the carry-out box she had borrowed from Gus.

Alex laughed “Did you get me pub food?”

“No! it’s just the perfect box for your gift. I made it all by myself.”

Still smiling Alex opened the box. His smile became even bigger. “WOW! How did you know I loved this?”

“Maybe a little bird told me.” If little birds were named Evelyn she would be right.

“Thanks.” He pulled her in for a quick hug. “Now if you excuse me I’m going to eat this now. Nothing is worse than bad fish.”

“That’s true. Enjoy.” She waved him off.

A few seconds later she felt someone tap on her elbow. She looked down to see Jas. She had one hand behind her back and looked a little nervous.

“Hi, Jas.”

“Hello Miss Adelaide.”

“Are you having a nice time?” Adelaide asked when she didn’t say anything else.

Jas nodded. “Yeah…I got something for you.” She held out her little hand to show Adelaide a Rainbow Shell. It was free of the sand that loved in hide in its little groves. It also looked super shiny.

“Oh thank you.” She took it from her.“Is this my star present?”

“Yeah, you also go to the beach so much I thought you would really like something for there. Rainbow shells are my favorite. I don’t like clams. There are things inside them. Things don’t live in this.

She really hoped she wasn’t blushing. Shell, or clams, of any sort weren’t the real reason she kept going to the beach but she wasn’t about it tell Jas that.

“I like them too. The colors are really pretty.”

Jas smiled. “They are! I’m glad you were mine this year. You’re very nice.”

“Thank you, Jas.”

“Bye Miss!” Jas ran off to join Vincent.

“Alright, I guess we are done talking.” She wondered if Jas had learned saying her goodbyes from Shane.

After making the rounds with the villagers, at least the ones she could find, she headed over to where Leah and Elliott were.

“Hey, buddy!” Leah wrapped her in a hug when she reached their table. She felt warm and her face was flushed. “We were worried you weren’t going to show.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, Elliott was just about to go be Prince Valiant and make sure the chickens hadn’t gotten you.”

She looked over at Elliott, whose face had turned pink. “I…It..I didn’t think chickens had actually gotten you. I just wanted it to see if you were okay. I remember that you were excited about the festival so I didn’t think you would miss it.”

“It took longer than planned to get Alex’s present ready.”

“You seem to need to work on your present managing time skills.”

Before she could figure out if that sentence made sense, Leah changed the topic.

“Now, have some of Gus’s punch. It’s super yummy.”

“Careful, it’s strong,” warned Elliott. “As you can see, Leah’s already enjoyed her fair share.”

To that Leah stuck her tongue out at him before handing Adelaide a cup. “I’m not drunk, just pleasantly fuzzy. I have no plans on being hungover tomorrow. Also I want to watch the star with you guys.” She turned to Adelaide. “I’m sure the view is great from your farm.”

“I don’t know. I was only here once before in winter when I was like eight. I don’t remember much of it cause I was super sick most of the time.”

“I’m sure it’s great. We should all go together.”

“Sure, I don’t mind.” She looked at Elliott.“Do you want to go?”

“Yes, I think it sounds very nice.”

When the sun started to set the three of them left to go to Adelaide’s farm. However when the passed Leah’s cottage she stopped.

“Leah?”

Leah stood there with a pensive look at her face. “I think I want to sleep.”

“Like right now?”

“Yep.” She hugged them both before walking away. Halfway to her cottage she turned around. “Have a nice night!”

Before either of them could say anything she was gone from sight. Adelaide stared after her. She wasn’t sure how drunk Leah really was. She wouldn’t put it past her to plan this to get her alone with Elliott. Leah had said more than once how she and Elliott needed to stop beating around the bush and get jiggy with it already. It was the first time she had ever actually heard someone use it that way. She wasn’t even sure if it was the right term.

“Well, that was…odd.”

“Yeah.” she turned to look at Elliott. The sun had nearly set so she couldn’t make out the detail of his expression. “Do you still want to watch the star?”

“Of course. I enjoy spending time with you.”

“Ah, same here.” She hoped her voice didn’t betray how those words made her feel. They continued to walk towards her farm. Once or twice they hands brushed. She longed to hold his hand but stopped herself. She didn’t want to make things awkward at the start. Maybe when he went home she could try something, but not now.

“Where shall we watch from?” asked Elliott when they reached her farmhouse.

She looked around. “If you want we can climb the woodpile roof. I cleaned it off snow last week.”

“I think I can trust myself not to fall off.”

“Good, just let me grab a blanket.” She came back out with a heavy wool blanket. She figured it would work well in warding off the chill. She shoved away the half-formed thought of what else could ward off the chill.

She climbed up first. Elliott handed her the blanket before joining her. He took the blanket from her to wrap it around them both. She held onto one end and shifted a bit so that her shoulder pressed into his. He didn’t seem to mind. In fact he moved so that half of her back was against his chest. That helped her warm up quickly.

Only the smallest hint of color was left in the sky at this point. Even with the bit of sun left she could clearly see the star. She had a fuzzy memory of standing on the porch waiting for the star to come out but she couldn’t remember anything after that.

“Is everything alright?” asked Elliott.

“Yes.” She kept her eyes forward on the star. It nearly shown brightly as a planet. “I was just trying to remember the last winter I was here. My sisters and I were visiting my grandparents. We never came here in winter, but for some reason we did that year. I was sick before we came and it just got worse after we arrived. I don’t remember much of the trip. And what I do remember is strange. I think it was from being sick or the medicine they gave me.”

“That sounds very unpleasant.”

“It was.”

Elliott moved so that his arm was wrapped around her, rubbing up and down her arm. “Do we need to go inside? I am sure we can see if we open the curtains. I don’t want you falling ill.”

She laughed, “The cold doesn’t actually make you sick.”

“I know but being cold is unpleasant.”

“I don’t feel cold right now.” Maybe it was the fact that she wasn’t looking at him or maybe it was the fact that is getting dark. Whatever it was, she felt bold enough to turn a little so she was tucked into his arm. His hand stopped moving so now he was just holding her close. “I want to stay here for a little bit longer.”

“As you wish.”

The night sky slowly turned to dark. The Winter Star stood out brightly among all the other stars. They stay silent for a while. She recalled the story about the star that Willy had told her. She wondered if it was true. If she was going to be blessed with good fortune. The logical part of her brain told her if such a thing was true. Pelican Town won’t have a broken down bus and struggling economy.

Night set in and the temperature lowered even further. “Okay, now it’s too cold. I can make us some hot cocoa to warm up.”

“That sounds lovely.”

They made their way inside. Adelaide set about warming up the milk. “You can turn on the record player if you like. My grandfather left behind a bunch of vinyl.”

“Very well.”

Soft jazz music started to play just as she turned off the heat for milk. She felt more than saw Elliott come up to her. She handed him a warm cup before walking over to the small table with hers. She tucked her chilled feet under her. Elliott sat across from her. She really wished she had more than two chairs, or that at least she had put them closer together.

“Tell me, Adelaide, how did your first winter here go? I know you were worried about it.”

“Well, first and foremost snow sucks.”

Elliott’s rich laugh filled her cabin. He listened to the rest of her story. One story lead into another. The cocoas were long gone before either of them had any desire to pause in their conversations.

“Oh!” exclaimed Adelaide after glancing at the kitchen clock. “It’s very late.”

Elliott looked over to the clock unconcerned. “So it is. I suppose I must be going then. I shall leave you to your rest.”

Before he could move she reached out to place a hand on his arm. “It gets so much colder at this time of night. I don’t want you to slip in ice.”

“I made the trip before, though not this late.”

She shook her head. “I won’t feel right making you leave. Stay.”

“I…”

“Please stay,” she added.

He looked at her for a long moment. “I don’t want to cause any trouble for you. We both know how so folks love to speculate over things like this.”

“I don’t think they will shun me even if they doubt my so-called virtue.” Though she liked the idea of actually giving the rumors some truth, she kept that to herself. That would defiantly make him leave. Even if it didn’t she would have no idea how to face him in the morning. She wanted so much more than one warm night from him.

“Adelaide, I care about you. I don’t want to do anything, even if they are falsehoods, to hurt you.”

“It won’t. The only people who would see you leave if you leave early from my farm would be Marine, Leah or maybe Shane. Leah wouldn’t think that. I know about Marine and her secret lover so I doubt she will say anything to make me look bad. And Shane? He just doesn’t care. Even if he, or they did, I care about you and your safety even more.”

He gave her a soft smile, “Very well. I shall stay.”

“Good. Wait here for a moment.” She left the table to go to her bedroom. She was back a minute later with an overly large shirt and flannel pants.

He placed the second mug upside down to dry before took the clothes from her. “Thank you though are you sure you wish to give these to me? I fear I may stretch them out.”

“Oh, don’t worry. They’re men’s clothes. The shirt practically falls off my shoulders and the pants mightbe a little short on you but I am sure it will be more comfortable than having to sleep in your day clothes, dashing as they may be.”

Something funny passed over his face for a moment. She wasn’t sure what it was. “Maybe I ask why you have men’s clothes around?”

“Because they are ridiculous more comfortable than women’s clothes. Also they come with pockets. Women’s pajamas are annoying cause even when we are just sleeping they still have to look sexy. I’m pretty sure at least a third my clothes are made for men.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you for these.” He lifted his hands slightly.

“Don’t mention it. I’ll go change too and find some sheets or something for the couch.”

She left again for her bedroom. She pulled a sweater on after she had changed into her nightclothes. While she usually just slept in a shirt and leggings she didn’t want any embarrassing incidents involving cold weather and thin shirts to happen. She pulled a spare quilt and a summer sheet from the trunk at the base of her bed.

“Elliot?” She called out just in case he was still changing.

“The coast is clear.” She entered the room. Elliott helped her prep the sofa. She stood up looking at their handiwork, wondering if he would be warm enough. “Thank you again for letting me stay.”

She turned to answer him but stopped. He stood at lot closer than she thought he was. It made sense though, they had just been working together. It struck her suddenly that she had never seen so much of his bare arm before. It was something stupid to feel flustered over. Instead she looked up at him. That didn’t help matters in the slightest. He was looking at her in a way that made her want to lean up into him. She felt her mouth part just a bit. His eyes darted down to the movement. He bent down and her heart started to race. His lips pressed softly against her cheek. They linger longer than they usually did but still too soon he pulled away. He stepped back.

“Good night. I, it is late.”

“Yes, of course. I, good night.” She turned and left without looking back at him. She didn’t bother to turn on a light, she knew where everything in her room was. Burying herself under the covers she pressed a hand to her kissed cheek. She was pretty sure he didn’t react negatively to her probably apparent desire to kiss him. He was very the gentleman. He would have just stepped away or something. He wouldn’t have kissed her cheek that way. Or at least she really hoped he wouldn’t have. She shook her head in her pillow. He didn’t reject her, maybe he even wanted to kiss her. That would mean that everything was still okay. It was also mean that everything would change. Maybe it made her coward but she hoped to slip out in the morning without waking him. It would give her some time to figure out just what was going on. It would give her time to figure out just want she wanted and just what she was willing to risk for it.


	7. Chapter 7

**SPRING YEAR 2**

Adelaide finished the final touches on her hair, it had gotten long enough tobe pulled back but it wouldn’t look very pretty. Today she wanted to look pretty, not just serviceable. The final section of hair was treaded though the flower crown on her head. Fresh flowers had been tied around the artificial base. It was a little uncomfortable but she was sure that’s just cause she was doing this by herself. The note she kept in the corner of her long mirror caught her eye. Sometimes she felt silly for keeping but most of the time it made her smile.

She hadn’t been very brave after the Winter Star festival. She had woken up early as usual. Elliott had been fast asleep tucked under the blanket. She didn’t wake him and had even skipped her usual breakfast so she could avoid talking to him. She ate an apple while she wrote him a note;

Elliott,

Sorry to miss you this morning. I didn’t want to wake you since

we stay up late. I will be off doing to morning chores. Help yourself

to anything in the kitchen.

It was a simple enough note, but what made her smile was his response;

Adelaide,

I wish you had awoken me. To spend the early hours in your

company would have suited me just fine. I have caught a glimpse

of you among your field. A strong Sif surveying her domain. I have

left a small offering for the goddess’s hospitably.

The offering had been fresh fruit juice. She hadn’t used her grandfather’s old juicer since moving here. At first she had been too weak to use it. While she was sure she was strong enough now she was far too busy. The words coming from anyone else would have made her roll her eyes but not Elliott. Despite all the flowery words he used she knew he meant it all. With a final look over her dress, she headed towards the door. She tied on her boots. There was no way she was going to walk through the forest in soft shoes.

It didn’t take her very long to reach the clearing where the festival was. This year she was looking forward to it a lot more. Last year she had hardly known anyone and hadn’t dared to ask anyone to dance. This year she and Leah had already talked about asking Elliott to dance. Even if he wasn’t attracted to her she knew he would never refuse her.

She entered the clearing a little later than most. Everyone looked very nice, though all the people around her age were dressed the same. She flashed back to being in secondary school for a moment. She spotted Elliott and Leah by the river. Leah’s dress was the same as hers, an off white flock dress with embroidered sleeves. Elliott's suit was the same as the rest of the guys, a blue suit with a white button down shirt. The embroidery on his lapels matches the ones on her sleeves.

“Adelaide, how nice to see you here.” Elliott greeted her. “I wasn’t sure if you would make it here. You have been very busy this season.” He looked at Leah. “Both of you have been very busy.”

“Well, some of us have outside jobs.” Leah stuck her tongue out at him.

Elliott chuckled, “It wasn’t a complaint. I’ve just missed the two of you.”

“That’s sweet Elliott. I’ve missed you guys too. The farm is settling down and I am in a good place to start for the summer season. Hopefully I can see more everyone coming up soon, but I will be sure to see the two of you a lot.”

“The art show is coming up soon so I will talk your ear off about that.”

She nodded, “Okay. That sounds good.” The music started up. “Oh! Is it time to dance already?” She glanced at Elliott, she hadn’t had time to ask him yet.

“No,” he answered. “There free dances before and after the one we have to do.”

“Ah, right. I remember that now.” She watched the rest of the villagers. Robin and Demetrius were dancing in long sweeping movements. That didn’t surprise her since she saw they dance whenever she went to the saloon on Fridays.

The song was nearly over when she saw Marlon walk towards Marnie. She watched, hoping it would go well. Marnie turned to him when he stopped near her. She wondered if he was going to ask her to dance. She remembered that he had a sore leg. While it didn’t affect his daily life too much she knew it kept him from the mines. Marnie nodded to whatever he said but they didn’t head to the dance area. Instead they walked towards the drink table near where the three of them were standing. She couldn’t hear them from where she was standing but they remained together after getting some drinks from the table.

She turned to Elliott who was speaking with Leah. If Marlon could work up the courage to ask Marnie she ask Elliott. She caught Leah’s eye. When Leah looks at her she nodded her head slightly to Elliott.

“I want a drink.” Without warning Leah walked away.

“Elliott,” He turned to her. “I was wondering if you wanted to dance with the Flower Dance with me.”

“Of course I would, I look forward to it.”

“Good.” She suddenly felt awkward. “I..um I will go see how Leah is doing.” She hurried away before he could respond.

“So how did it go?” asked Leah when she reached her.

“He agreed to dance with me.”

“Yay, go you!”

“Shhhh, don’t yell. Also I took your dance partner from last year, is that okay?”

“Hmmm.” She looked around. Her eyes landed on Shane who was a few feetaway. “Yeah, wait here.” She walked over to Shane. They talked for a few moments before Leah came back.

“The dance is about to start, let’s go.”

“Are you dancing?”

“Yes, don’t worry. I bribed Shane to get Clint to dance with Emily, so he and I will dance together.”

“What? Why?”

“Do you really not know?”

“I don’t.”

“Clint fancies her. Unfortunately he can never spit anything out so maybe this will help him finally do something. If not,” she shrugged, “He’s out of luck.”

“Okay, I guess what makes sense but why did Shane go along with it?”

“Shane is a very easy man after you know how to handle him.”

“That’s a worrying statement.”

“Relax, it’s nothing bad.” She lead her by the shoulders to where the others were getting ready for the dance. “Now just enjoy this.”

Leah let her go once they had reached their spots to start the dance. She looked at Elliott stand a few feet in front of her. He smiled but she was too nervous to do anything more than give him the tiniest smile back.

When the music started Adelaide’s focus narrowed down to just her steps, she didn’t want to mess this up. She managed to not run into anyone and make the twists in sync with the other girls. The song is over before she knew it. Everyone clapped for them as the final note ended.

Clint hurried away before any of them really moved. The others formed smaller groups but she didn’t pay them much attention. She was trying to not feel too disappointed that she had basically missed her first dance with Elliott. She had been so focused on the dance itself that she wasn’t even sure she had even looked at him once. She looked at him now. His eyes had a soft look in them that made her feel fuzzy inside. He walked up to her.

“Forgive me if this is presumptuous, however judging for the look of concentration you had you weren’t really able to enjoy the dance?”

“Ah, no…not really.” She flushed. “But! I, I’m sure you were a lovely partner. We didn’t run into each other or anyone else. I am sure that was mainly your doing.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. You did perform all the steps properly, just a little stiffly.”

She felt herself relax for the first time today. “Thanks, Elliott.”

“Of course, think nothing of it.”

The music started up again. She saw Kent and Jodi start a dance. Kent kept them from going to the middle of clearing but he was clearly trying to put an effort in for Jodi. Abby had roped some of the others into what Adelaide thought might be a line dance but she couldn’t really tell.

“Adelaide,” Elliot moved closer to her. “Can I show something?”

“Okay.”

“Please follow me.” He placed his hand on her lower back, guiding her out of the clearing to a small path. They could still easily heard the music playing when the reached a much smaller clearing. It was little more than a copse of trees.

“What is this?”

“Nothing of note, just somewhere to not have everyone watch us.”

“What for?”

“I want to have a dance with you. Here, where we don’t have to worry about everyone watching.”

“Oh.”

“Shall we?”

When she nodded. He stepped away from her to be the proper amount of paces away for the dance they had just finished. Without paying any real mind to the music playing they started the dance. She felt more relaxed this time around. No one was watching her and she hadn’t taken anyone’s place. It was just her and Elliott. Elliott who never made her feel small or out of place. Here she belong in the dance; belonged across from him.

She smiled as she finished the first spin. For the rest of the dance she kept the smile on her face. They stepped away from each other but he kept her hand in his. She was suppose to dance around him at this point but they remained still.

Elliott looked back towards the path they had come from. That was when she noticed that the music had changed to a slower beat. Elliott looked back at her.

“Shall we dance a different set? Something slower?”

“That sounds nice.”

With practiced ease, Elliott moved them into the proper positions. This was the closest she had ever been to him. With sudden clarity she realized why the waltz had been such a scandalous dance.

They didn’t really end up doing a proper waltz since she didn’t know how but she enjoyed the gentle movements they did around the copse. He guided her arm up with his hand in hers to lead in her in a slow spin. She was sure they were suppose to keep dancing but he stayed close to her. Their arms lowered, hers came to rest of his shoulder while his spread behind her shoulder blades. This close she had to peer up at him. He was staring back down at her. She didn’t want to say a thing, it felt like any small thing could cause this, whatever this was, to go sideways. That was certainly something she didn’t want.

“Adelaide…”He trailed off, bringing his other hand to cup her cheek. “If…may I?” He ghosted his thumb across her lower lip.

“Yes.” The word came out in barely a whisper. She was afraid he hadn’t heard it. Apparently he had since he leaned down towards her. She focused herself to stay relaxed. She didn’t want to be too tense to enjoy the kiss.

It was wonderful. There weren’t fireworks or butterflies didn’t flutter in her stomach. Instead everything she had been feeling for weeks, maybe even months finally settled down. A balm was being placed over her nerves. A soothing warm feeling filled her soul as his lips pressed softly against hers.

She felt his nose brush against hers when he pulled away. Almost reluctantly she opened her eyes. Elliott was looking at her, he almost seemed nervous. That was a reverse of positions. He never seemed nervous to her while she had only been a bundle of them. She smiled at him, she liked being the one who felt calm.

He gave a sigh of relief at her smile. “That was very nice.”

“It was.” Suddenly feeling bold she added, “We should have done it sooner.”

He coughed slightly, but she was sure it wasn’t from anything in the air. She moved so that she was hugging him fully. His arms wrapped around her. He placed a kiss on her crown. She smiled against his chest; she had forgotten had much she loved those kinds of kisses.

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed before they headed back towards the festival clearing. They had stayed close, swaying to the music. She hadn’t tried to kiss him again nor had he tried to kiss her.Mainly she hadn’t wanted to break the serene spell that had fallen over them but also she didn’t want anything in their appearance to cause people to gossip even more.

They had almost reached the clearing when they come across Emily and Leah close together. They seemed to be speaking in hushed tones. Emily is the first one to notice them.

“Oh! Hello, I didn’t know you two were taking a walk.”

Leah turned to them. She really hoped she wouldn’t say anything. Leah seemed to read her mind cause she only walked up to her to link their arms together.

“If you will excuse us, I want to talk to Adelaide about the art show coming up. We still have a few things to work out.”

“Oh, I…” She felt torn, she wanted to stay with Elliott especially since they hadn’t even talked about anything but she didn’t want to leave Leah hanging. It had been her idea to go with the art show after all.

“Don’t worry, Adelaide. Leah’s matter is pressing, we can talk later.” He smiled at her which relieved most of her worry.

She followed Leah to sit on the stumps a little past the edge of the clearing. “Did something go wrong?”

“Well…”

By the time they were done talking, most of the others had left. She scanned the few people assigned to cleaning duty but didn’t see Elliott. She couldn’t really blame him for leaving. It was nearly sunset. The only people who didn’t have to be there, apart from the three of them, were Pierre and Caroline who were in the middle of a fight. She ignored her disappointment as she walked home with Leah and Emily. It had been a long day so they didn’t talk much on the way home. She waved goodbye to them as they parted ways in Cindersap Forest.

She gave a quick look to her animals to make sure they didn’t need anything. She really didn’t want to get her dress dirty. After she was sure they were all sound she headed inside. Everything had changed today. Even if she and Elliott hadn’t talked about yet everyone had changed; it was still going to be very different moving forward.


	8. Chapter 8

**SPRING YEAR 2**

The morning after the flower dance Adelaide finished her chores faster than ever before. She wanted to go see Elliott but she really couldn’t neglect her animals. Thankfully she didn’t run into anyone when she went through the town. Only Penny was there, reading under the shade of the oak trees.

The gentle sound of a piano greeted her when she reached the beach. Elliot’s door was open and she saw him playing an unfamiliar song. She paused in the doorway, not wanting to interrupt or intrude. Instead she admitted the long lines of him; the way his fingers moved along the keys.

Soon the song ended. Before she could say anything he stood and turned to her.

“Adelaide, I thought someone was there. I’m glad that is was you.” he smiled at her.

“That was lovely.”

“Thank you, I do enjoy playing even if I’m not very good. It helps stretch my hands. They get far too cramped if I write for long periods of time.” He walked closer to her, that’s when she noticed that she was still in the doorway. She figured he wouldn’t mind if she entered so she walked over to him.

“Is the novel going well?”

“Not as well as I hoped. It’s not being very fruitful at the moment. I’m running low on funds so I need to finish it quickly.” He sighed wistfully. “Some days I wish to throw it all away and become a farmer or some such.”

Adelaide looked down at her hand. There were calluses along all of the pads. A few scars lingered from when thorns had cut through her gloves. “Running a farm isn’t always or often fruitful. It’s hard.”

She hadn’t heard him move but soon his hands cupped hers. He brought them up to his lips to place a gentle kiss on each one.

“Forgive me, I don’t mean to disparage your efforts. What I am trying to say it I sometimes feel a need for an occupation where I can see definable results for my efforts.”

“Would you like to be my farmhand? For whatever reason my chickens seem to prefer men. Though that might be because I got them from Shane.”

“If you require help I will gladly give it. However I wish to focus on my novel. I have given up so much for it and spend a great deal of time on it. Also for a slightly less pure reason I want to be able to prove to all those back…home that what I am doing is not a waste of time.”

She twisted her hands so that she held his. “It’s not. Please don’t think that.”

“I won’t, I promise.” There was a pause before he continued. “Adelaide I would very much like to kiss you again.”

“Okay.”

He stepped forward to kiss her, their hands still pressed between them. It was just a soft press of his lips against hers. Before she could think to do anything herself he pulled away. She was slow to open her eyes. When she did she saw that he was staring down at her.

“There is something I wish to discuss before we do anything further.”

She was sure he just meant kissing before thought of certain activities that require few clothes and more closed doors crossed her mind. Something must have shown on her face because a flush spread across Elliot’s cheeks.

“All I meant further in any sort of relationship. I don’t have to declare our intentions to each other right away, however I do wish to go on dates with you. At the moment it doesn’t have to be exclusive if you don’t wish. The one thing I do view as being exclusive it sex. If we do that I don’t want either of us to be involved with anyone else. What do you wish?”

She thought about it for a moment, feeling awkward. She had always found these conversations hard. Sometimes she tried to avoid them but that always leads to mixed up exceptions and hurt feelings.

“I think we should try going on a few dates before deciding what we truly commit to anything. There isn’t really anyone else I am thinking of dating, but I don’t know if I am building up what kind of relationship we would have in my head for too long. I think we should try out the real thing before giving ourselves labels.”

“I agree. We shall try a few dates to make sure this is truly what we want.”

“Good.” She moved her hands to cup his face and bought him down to a kiss. She had never dated someone as tall as him, she wondered how it would work. Then his lips met hers and she didn’t think of much for a few moments. The soothing warmth soon turned hotter and brighter. Especially when she felt Elliott pull on her upper lip just enough to spark energy along her veins. He did it again and again till she found it hard to breathe. She pulled away and he rested his head on her shoulder. That really couldn’t be comfortable for him but he didn’t seem to have any desire to move. Instead she ran her hands through his hair and waited for her breathing to return to normal.

Elliott stood straight, “Perhaps we should set a time for our first date?”

“The Art Show is this weekend. We could go support Leah and have a date afterward?”

“Yes, that would be good. I know you were helping her with that. Did it all go well?”

“I think so. I was mainly a soundboard, she wanted to work on it herself.”

“That does sound like her.”

“Though I do think I will have to tell her about us, even if we aren’t really sure what we are yet.”

“Yes, that’s fine. I shall prepare myself for days of teasing.”

Aww, I’m sure it won’t be super bad.”

“I fear I will have to disagree with you on this point.”

“Maybe we can start kissing when she does tease, that will get her to stop quicklyI think.”

“That may work.” He gave her a wicked grin that she wasn’t use to seeing on him. “Shall we practice?” She laughed as he pulled her in for a kiss.

The town square had more people in it than Adelaide had ever seen outside of the Fair. There were a few sculptures around the square. She had always preferred them to paintings. Though the ones Leah made were rather abstract. Still she knew how much hard work went into each other. That alone was impressive.

Leah wrapped Adelaide in a hug as soon as she was free. She stretched up on her toes to pull Elliott down into the hug as well.

“I’m so glad you guys are here. Sorry I didn’t say hi early. Soooo many people want to talk and ask about my art. I had no idea it would be this popular.” She let them go to look around the square.

“I’m glad it’s going well.”

“Yeah, Haley has even already sold a photograph.” She gestured to where Haley and Emily were standing by a small table. Haley was talking to a short man with a hat. It was the most animated Adelaide had ever seen her.

“It a good thing you added her to the event. Perhaps it will encourage others in the future to join,” said Elliott.

Leah turned to him. “The future? You think I should do this again?”

“I don’t see why you should stop at just once, certainly not if you add others. It will be a great way to bring people to town.”

“Yes,” She gave him a small nudge, “Maybe next year you can have a little table with your book for sell.”

“Ah, well…There is that.”

“Don’t worry about it too much for now Leah. Just enjoy your day.” She pulled her close and held Leah tightened her arms around her for a long moment. Slowly she pulled away.

“Thanks, It’s just a little overwhelming at the moment. I’m sure later it will feel awesome when it all really sinks in.” She took her hands in hers. “Now come follow me. I want to start the art show but I don’t think I could get all the words out without you.”

She looked back at Elliott.

“Don’t worry. I shall meet the two of you after the show.”

With that Leah pulled her forward towards the center of the sculptures. Soon everyone else was gathered around. Leah took the crowd to the each of the sculptures. She explained how they came to be and why. Adelaide could tell how much she loves each one. They stopped at the final one, a twist one made of wood. Leah turned to her.

“Of course none of this would be possible without Adelaide. She helped me see this through each step of the way. Without her I would never have had the courage to see this all the way through.

She could feel her face warm up. Thankfully Leah had stopped talking and now everyone was crowding around her with congratulations. She snuck off when people started to bid on the pieces. Before she could even start to look for Elliott a woman approached her. The woman really didn’t look friendly, given the way she was glaring at her but Adelaide didn’t have time to escape. The clinic was to just to left so she supposed she could run in there.

“Was it you who gave her the idea to move out here in the first place?”

“Do you mean Leah?”

The woman rolled her eyes, “Of course I mean Leah, why would I be talking about anyone else?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know who you are.”

“That doesn’t matter, just answer the question.”

She was starting to get rather annoyed. “No, I moved here after her if you must know.”

“I guess that’s suppose to be a small comfort.”

“Great,” said Adelaide but made no attempt to hide the fact that she didn’t really care.

“Did she really move out to the middle of nowhere just for art?”

Adelaide paused, taking in the woman in front of her for the first time. They seemed to be around the same age and cared an awful lot about Leah and her move to the valley. She could only think of one person who would care enough and be rude about it.

“Are you…Kel?”

The woman just huffed and walked away. A familiar hand came to rest on the small of her back.

“I was unsure if you needed help but you seem to have handled that well.”

She turned to Elliot. “Did you hear any of that?”

“No, but I recognized your body language, you weren’t happy.”

“Ah.” It made her happy that he could read her that well. Unless of course she broadcasted loudly and everyone could tell. “I think that was Leah’s ex. She seemed to think Leah had moved here for me.”

“Did she?”

“Yeah, I think she just can’t see why anyone would move here.”

“I suppose she just doesn’t see the appeal of the beautiful land or the lovely farmers that run it.”

She laughed, “Neither did you.” She turned to face him. “You moved here before me so you can’t really use that as a reason. Also you live on the beach.”

“Regardless I knew this place was special, maybe I knew what the future held for me here. Who the future would bring to the valley.” He played with the ends of her hair. His words robbed her of whatever she was going to say next. She wasn’t sure how long she was going to be able to banter with him if he kept coming up with things like that.

“I may come to regret this.”

Elliot’s hand stilled, her hair slipped between his fingers. “This? As in us?”His eyebrow furrowed in concern.

“No, not like that.” It would probably broadcast to the entire square but she didn’t care, she reached up to smooth away the crease. “You just have such a way with words, I’m going to have a hard time bantering back at you.” She rested her hands on his shoulders.

“You needn’t worry about such things. The way you say words to me doesn’t matter so long as they are from your heart.”

“Good.” They fell silent.

“I don’t believe it, well I do, but I can’t believe you didn’t say anything.” They both turned to see Leah standing before them.

“Hi Leah.”

“Don’t ‘Hi Leah’ me missy! Why didn’t you say anything?”

“It’s very recent and you were distracted with the art show. Also we are just testing the water.”

“You mean the water you guys have been swimming in for a year?”

“Leah…”

“Yeah, yeah fine. Test the waters. Though I can tell you as the best friend of both of you, that it’s totally unnecessary.”

“Duly noted,” muttered Elliott. She was pretty sure it was the first time she had ever heard him mutter.

Leah ignored it. “So have you gone on a date yet?”

“We were planning on it after we helped you clean up.”

“Don’t worry about that.” Leah waved her hand in the air. “There isn’t much to do. And Emily already said she would help. You guys should go.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

She stepped forward to give Leah a hug. “You are amazing. Today and every day.”

“I feel like that now. The high of a success is running strong. Now go.” She made little shooing motions at them.

Adelaide turned to Elliott, “Shall we?”

“Yes, we shall.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ventures into the M rating.

**SUMMER YEAR 2**

Adelaide glared down at her ruined crops. The worst part was she had no idea what she had done wrong. Everything had been done the same as last year. Unfortunately this year her whole crop had grown poorly. No matter, she had to see what she could save. With a sigh she started to try to harvest.

The sellable yield ended up being just half of what she had made last year despite the fact she had planted more. It wasn’t her main cash crop but it still threw a major wrench in her plans. It looked like the bus would have to wait even longer. At least her animals would be happy.

She looked up at the darkening sky, while it wasn’t supposed to rain today she wouldn’t put it past the fates for that to change. The last thing she wanted to try to clear the soil in the rain. Instead she just headed back inside after readying the crops for shipping. Maybe she could hang out with Elliott. She smiled, the tension had finally loosened from their interactions. They no longer had to worry about saying or doing something that would change everything for the worse. Her hand paused over the trousers she was going to put on. She was just going to see Elliott, she didn’t need to worry about being about to do any work. Instead she reached of a sundress she hadn’t worn since she moved to the valley.

To her surprise it didn’t fit quite right anymore. The bodice bagged a little and the straps felt loose. It stuck Adelaide as odd. She knew all the farm work had changed her body but she was use to it making her more muscular, not smaller. It was the only cute dress she owned so she couldn’t change and keep the style she was going for. She grabbed a cardigan and slipped it on, it covered the issue enough to not be obvious. She would ask Emily if she could fit it the next time she saw her.

The clouds had gotten darker in the time it took her to change but the wind wasn’t picking up so she figured she would be alright. Still she grabbed her old umbrella from by the door. Her romantic ideas would be ruined if she showed up looking like a drowned cat.

She was just passing Marnie’s cow field when she noticed someone coming from town. She looked up to say hello to who she figured would be Shane. It’s wasn’t him, it wasn’t even Marnie or Jaz. Mayor Lewis stood frozen on the pathway. His pale face flushed a bright red. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. There was no reason for him to be acting like these. It was the middle of the day and he always wandered around town talking to people. No one would think it would be odd for him going this way, even if she knew Marine’s was his destination.

She nodded to him and started to go on her way.

“Wait! Adelaide!”

She couldn’t think of a good reason for her not to without being very rude so she turned back to him. “Hello, Mayor Lewis.”

“I was just…it’s…”

“Is there something you need?” She really wanted this conversation to be over.

“It’s, um…your crops!”

“My…crops?”

“Yes,” He nodded. “I noticed that you haven’t been shipping out very many lately. It important that you do your fair share of helping the town thrive. A farmer without crops isn’t very good.”

Until this very moment she had never understood the saying “seeing red”. The level of anger and frustration built inside of her. Lewis wasn’t paying any attention to her. He just went on about doing one’s duty to the town.

“I just don’t your recent…let’s say dalliance with that writer to distract you from your work?”

“My what?”

“Your recent actions haven’t gone unnoticed." He lowered his voice as if there were other people around. I think it would be best to change your course of action before it damaged your future prospects. I had such high hopes for you when you moved here, to follow in your grandfather’s footsteps. Help the people who’s family roots are deep in the valley soil.”

She tightened her grip on the umbrella. She wished she had the old fashion solid kind and not the cheap compact version sold in corner stores. Though if she did have one murdering Lewis with it wouldn’t help her.

“Sir,” Her tone to cold and chipped. That got him to stop talking. “Regardless of who you are to this town this isn’t something you need to concern yourself with. Maybe you can focus on your own so-called dalliances.”

It might not have been the best thing to say but she didn’t stay to find out. She turned and walked away. She wouldn’t give in the desire to run. There was no way she was going to let him in any way think he words had had such a large effect on her. They probably won’t have if she hadn’t had such bad crops this morning. It probably would have been okay if she wasn’t stressed about seven different things. Even her poorly fitting dress had made the list. It was all just getting too much.

A few droplets of rain started to fall so she opened her umbrella. At least that still worked for her. However she had only taken a few steps before a large gush of wind blew her umbrella inside out. Try as she might she couldn’t get it to go back in. The rain was falling heavy now. Even if she did manage to fix it she was already soaked through. She a frustrated shout she tossed the useless umbrella into the bin at the end of the lane.

She ran the rest of the way to the beach. When she got there she found herself bypassing Elliott’s cabin to run to the end of the sand. With the wind against the waves weren't larger than normal. They barely reached her boots. But it was enough for her. She raged at the sea, letting the high winds and roll of the waves take the sounds away. At some point she started using words but she wasn’t even sure what they were.

Exhausted she went to sink to her knees but before she was even halfway there someone caught her. The sound of the rain around her changed. She looked up to see a large dark umbrella over her. It was the style she wished she had early. She looked to where she was pressed up against a warm solid chest to see Elliott. His dark green eyes were hard to read in the dim light but she could easily see that his brow was creased.

Without a word he ushered her back towards his cabin. She let him practically carry her across the uneven sand. While she did feel better she felt drained. The door had been left open but thankfully not a lot of rain had gotten in. Elliott set the still open umbrella down. He shut the door, the rain turned into a soft sound muffled sound against the roof.

“Adelaide…” He cupped her cheeks to look at her. Now she could tell that his eyes looked very worried indeed. She on the other hand felt far lighter. Maybe she should yell at the sea more often. She wanted to wrap him in a tight hug but resisted so that she didn’t get his clothes all wet.

“Everything’s fine.”

“Forgive me for doubting you but when everything is fine people don’t go shouting at in the sea. Certainly not in the rain.”

“Okay, things weren’t fine before but I am feeling much better now.” She stretched up to give him a soft kiss.

Elliott looked like he wanted to argue but only looked her over. “You’re soaked, let’s at least get you dry. Are you cold?”

She shook her head, “Not really.”

He knelt down to unlace her boot. He placed his hand behind her knee to lift the boot off. While she said she wasn’t cold his hand felt like a brand of her soft skin. She was pretty sure no one had touched her there before. He repeated the process with her other foot. He lead her to the bathroom.

“I will get something for you to change into. You can take a shower if you wish.”

“I’ll be fine.”

Again he looked unconvinced but didn’t press the point. He was back shortly with folded clothes. He handed them to her before closing the door. She peeled off her wet clothes and hung them along the edge of his tub. There really wasn’t anywhere else to put them. She moved the rug so that they won’t drip onto his floor. Though she supposed since it was a tiled bathroom the water wouldn’t hurt. She toweled off and tried to ignore how much it smelled like him.

Of course the clothes he gave her were too big for her. The flannel shirt had few buttons at the collar so that kept it from sliding off her shoulders. There wasn’t really anything she could do about the overly long sleeves, but it would keep her hands warm so she didn’t really care. She tugged on boxer shorts acutely aware that that would be all she would be wearing on her bottom half. Despite whatever Mayor Lewis and the townspeople seemed to think she had yet to have any sort of dalliance with Elliott.

She entered the main room to see Elliott sitting on the bed. He was down to his shirtsleeves. He was leaning forward slightly and had linked his hands together. She knew that meant he was either worrying or thinking. Sometimes it was the same thing. She walked over to him. He looked up but before he could move she nudged his knees. Automatically he moved them to allow her to stand closer. She rested her hands on his shoulders while his went to her hips.

“Will you please tell me what’s wrong?”

“Nothing super major, just a bunch of little things that piled together.” She went on to explain the events that lead to her shouting in the rain. The whole time his thumb rubbed soothing circles on her hip. It only stopped for a second when she mentioned Mayor Lewis’ option on their relationship.

“Did his words hurt you?”

“They made me angry more than anything. He was being super rude and hypocritical. He’s the one sneaking around as if he has to hide an affair. We haven’t even done any of the so-called dallying he seemed to be so against.”

“I don’t think that’s how you use that word.”

“I don’t care.” She puffed out her cheeks in frustration. “I just don’t like how he implied being with you is damaging my reputation.”

Elliott hummed, “Yes. I was mainly teasing when I say you had to stay away from me. I didn’t know some were seriously considering you for certain families.”

“They probably want me to marry Alex.”

An unexpected cloud of emotion passed over Elliott’s features. “Alex is a boy.”

“Yes?”

“No, I mean he is like a little boy. He would not make a good husband currently. He needs to mature greatly before then.”

“I suspect someone like Mayor Lewis thinks the love a good woman would change him.”

“That’s not your job. Or the job of any woman.”

“Elliott…” She brushed her thumbs against his temples. “Why is Alex upsetting you so?”

“It is because he is careless with you. If you had been hurt playing with him, that’s natural. That wasn’t the case. You were hurt though his own inattentiveness.”

“He did apologize.”

“Yes, but has he changed?”

She paused to think about it, she couldn’t really say if he had. “I’m not sure.”

“I stand by my statement.”

She wanted to laugh but she could see it was a serious matter for Elliott. Instead she stretched out her finger to free them from the long sleeves. Elliott watched her movements. She went to steady herself on his shoulders before moving to sit on his lap. Elliot moved his legs together to she would have a more secure seat. When she cupped his face his eyes darted to hers. She made sure that they were of equal height before she spoke.

“I don’t care what anyone else has planned for me. I want to be with you.” She paused to gather her courage. “Actually, I want to be with only you. I don’t want to keep going on dates to see if we fit. I already know we do.”

“As do I. Shall we declare ourselves officially boyfriend and girlfriend?”

She wrinkled her nose at him, “I never liked those words.”

“Partners? Lovers? Suitors? Beau?”

“I think those last two are just for you.”

“Going steady?”

At that she did bury her head in his shoulder to laugh. She felt Elliott turn his head and place a kiss in her hair.

“Can I tell you a secret?”

“Always.”

“I’ve wanted to be your beau since the winter festival.”

She straightened up to look at him. “If you did why did you suggest testing us out first?”

“I didn’t want to pressure you. Also I want to make sure it was real and not just jealousy.”

“Jealousy? What was there to be jealous of that day?”

“It was the clothes you lent me. I didn’t like the thought that you had kept around and moved to a whole new place with clothes from an old flame.”

“Oh.”

“I was disproportionally relieved when you say you had bought them yourself.”

She wasn’t sure what to say to that so she just pulled him close. He moved his arms to wrap around her back. He made the same motions there that he had done of her hips. The sound of the rain and the soothing movement of his lulled her into a peaceful state. She was sure she would have stay that way all night if her hips hadn’t started to protest.

“Elliott.” She shifted to look at him again.

“Hmm?”

“Can I stay here tonight?”

“Certainly, it would be most unbecoming of me to force you out into the rain.”

“How gentlemanly of you.” She softened her words with a kiss. She pulled away and Elliott leaned forward for another one. As much as it pained her to not meet him she was sure it would be even more painful for the rest of her if she stayed in that position. She flopped over to lay on his bed, one leg still partially on his lap.

“I don’t think my legs could have taken much more of that.”

“That’s a pity. I liked having you so close.”

She blushed at his words which caused him to smile. He gently moved her leg before standing up. He leaned over her to give her a long slow kiss. This time it was her to lean forward for more when he pulled away.

“I shall change into something more comfortable.”

His words bought to mind the countless books and movies that bought to mind all the times those words had been said. They always lead to the woman coming out in some sort of seduction wear that couldn’t actually be that comfortable. Her thoughts must have been apparent, or that Elliott was reminded of the same things, because his cheeks blushed. He didn’t say anything, only walked away. She giggled before turning to her side. She grabbed the throw pillow that was against the wall and held it tight. She felt far too giddy being officially with Elliott. It made no sense, she had been in relationships before. Granted, not very many but enough to have the novelty wear off. She hadn’t felt this way when she had started to date David.

She rolled onto her back. She hadn’t thought about him in a while. Just about everything with him hadn’t gone well. She groaned into the pillow, she still couldn’t believe she had broken up with him over the phone.

“Darling?”

She peered over the edge to see Elliot had returned.

“Is something the matter?”

“No, I’m just remembering something embarrassing.”

“Ah. Shall I make us some tea?”

“Sure.” She sat up to watch him. His place was small and open enough that she could see him easily in the kitchen. If it could even be called that. He leaned against the counter while he waited for the tea to steep.

“Tell me about your novel.”

“Ah well, I am sure you know all of it already. I don’t believe there is anything left to tell.”

“Then tell it to me again. I just want to hear you speak. It’s soothing.”

He cleared his throat and turned to tend to the tea, but not before she saw the blush on his cheeks. She wondered if it was unhealthy to blush so much in the course of one evening. He walked over to hand her the tea before sitting down next to her. Despite his protest he did start to tell her more about the novel. Before long he was passionately debating different ways to tell the story.

Adelaide smiled as she sipped her tea. She really did love the way he talked about things. After they exhausted that topic, they carried on to different ones. She wasn't sure how long they talked but their tea was long finished with. They found themselves laying down together. At some point the rain had cleared, letting the late sunset slowly darken the room. The fading light and the warmth of Elliott lulled her into a peaceful sleep.

When she opened eyes again for a moment she was sure that almost no time had passed. The room was filled with the same soft light as before. It wasn’t until she noticed the angle of the shadows that she realized it was morning. Elliott was pressed close to her back, his warm breath tickling her neck. It sent a surprising surges of warmth through her. She wiggled to face him. Despite trying not to disturb him she found him staring at her when she settled. They had woken up together before, falling asleep after a late night of talking wasn’t new to them. However today seemed to be different. She wasn’t sure if it was the blue tint to the light or his darken gaze but she suddenly felt the strong urge to press up against him so that there would be no room in between them. That was exactly what she did.

It was as if Elliott was waiting for her to move. The moment she pressed fully against him. He captured her lips in a rough kiss. They shifted so that Adelaide was on her back. That made it a lot easier to cup his face. She felt more than heard him groan when she shifted her leg between his. He pulled away but stayed close, their noses almost touching. He turned his head to place open-mouthed kisses along her wrist. She had no idea that that area could be so sensitive. He didn’t stop there he continued to kiss along her arm. It didn’t matter that she was still wearing his shirt, each kiss felt like a brand. Her free arm went under his shirt to work along his spine. That cause him to nibble at her uncovered clavicle. If she thought his kisses before warmed her it was nothing compared to how his lip felt on her bare skin. Slowly he unbutton her collar, kissing each inch of newly exposed skin. Both of her arms were now free so she used them to tug at his shirt. She missed his contact when he shifted to help her remove his shirt.

They paused for a moment. The room was still full of blue light, it gave him an ethereal quality that made her heart warm. His eye soften when he leaned down to rest his forehead against hers.

“Alis, you are beauty beyond compare.” He kissed her again. This time it didn’t have a desperate edge to it. Instead it was long and dragged out till she was dizzy with it. “Are you sure we should continue?”

“Yes,” She could barely get out the words. “Please don’t stop.”

He pulled off her shirt. One of the buttons caught it her hair. She giggled when he cursed. He kissed the spot after he freed her hair. “My apologizes.”

“I will accept it only if you kiss me enough to make me forget that I even have hair.”

“I don’t know if I can do that.” He ran a hand through her loosen curls, giving them a slight tug. It surprised her how much she enjoyed the feeling. His eye darken when she gasped. “Like I said..” He bent down to kiss along her jaw.

Not to be outdone she ran her hands along the front of him, enjoying the feeling his muscles twitch. Her hands reached the base of his skull where she played with the fine hairs she found there. Elliot moaned into her neck and pressed a knee against her. She arched against the jolt of pleasure. His mouth shifted even lower. One hand remained near her head, tangled in her hair. She was unsure where his other hand was, far too distracted by his mouth raining down kisses on her along the curves of her chest.

Suddenly she became of it when his hand traced along the edge the boxer shorts she was wearing. With practiced ease he unbuttoned the single button. She wondered if he could unbutton them easily since they were his or if he had done if from this angle many times before. His hand ventured further into the boxer’s opening and she didn’t think of much else a part of the feel of him against her.

The early morning sun was streaming in as she tried to slow her breathing. Elliott rubbed small circles on her bare hip. His lips placed gentle kisses on her shoulder. It didn’t surprise her at all that he was a cuddler. All her limbs still felt a bit tingly but she liked the gentle touches. She was sure she would start to feel gross and sticky in a bit but she wanted to enjoy the moment for now. Once her brain started to work again she remember something he had said.

“Elliott.”

“Yes, darling?”

“What it that you called me?”

“Divine?”

She laughed, “I don’t think you called me that.”

“I certainly thought it.”

“No, it was something short and not a word I knew.”

“Alis?”

“Yeah,” she turned to face him. “That. What is it?”

“It’s your name, or at least the closest version of it in my mother tongue."

“What?” She moved up on her elbow to look down at him. “We’re speaking your second language right now?”

“Not necessarily. I learned both at the same time. I have lived Ferngill the most so I tend to speak it more.”

She frowned, “I feel like I should have known this.”

He leaned up to kiss her. “There is no reason for you to know, I hadn’t thought to mention it.”

“Still…”

“Are you truly upset?”

“No.” She rested her head on his chest. “It’s just don’t want to not be able to talk to your family.” She paused, realizing what she just said. She worried it was too soon to mention family, especially since he didn’t have the best relationship with them.

“Don’t worry.” He started to stroke her hair. “We are all bilingual. You will have no issues. However if you are concerned we can have language lessons.”

“That sounds nice.”

“Good.”

“Also…”

“Yes?”

“I think I like being called Alis. It’s nice to have a name that only you use.”

“Very well, that is the name I shall use from now on.”

She shifted to give him a kiss. Their lips had barely met when loud voices came from outside. They broke apart, confused. The voices continued but they couldn’t make out what was being said.

“Just a moment.” Elliot shifted her back onto the bed. He walked over to look out the high window that face the sands. She smiled, she had never noticed that he had dimples low on his back. She filed the information away to exploit later.

“Ah, it seems we have forgotten about the Luau.”

“What!” She sat up but didn’t join him at the window.

“About half the village is outside now.”

She groaned.

He turned back to her. “Are you alright?”

“No,” she moaned into her hands.

“Are you ashamed of what we did?” His voice was carefully neutral.

“No,” she quickly stood. A little too quickly, her legs wobbled under her. In an instant Elliott was across the room, holding her upright. “No, I’m not ashamed but I don’t want to whole village talking about me coming out of your cabin right now. Even if we hadn’t done anything they would still talk. I don’t want them to be part of this or hear all their side comments.”

He kissed her crown. “I understand.”

“Can’t we just enjoy ourselves and not go?”

“I fear if we both don’t show at a festival everyone goes to people will talk.”

“That kind of speculation I don’t mind cause they can’t be smug about it, they can only assume.”

“I shall join them after everything started for a while. Last year I forgot about it so they won’t be surprised if I forgot this year too. I shall blame my novel kept me distracted. You shall stay here till everything is over, have a relaxing day.”

“Are you sure?”

“I am certain.”

“You’re wonderful.”

He smiled at her. “Only for you. Now let me shower so that I can be presentable.”

“You know I need a shower too. We should save on water and we go together.”

“Shower shenanigans only truly work in media.”

“Yes, but a girl can dream.” She stretched up to kiss him.“I promise to only to what is shower is properly meant for. It’s just that if I have to away from you by just a few feet all day I want to be with you for a long as possible."

Elliott blushed. “How can I possibly deny you when you put it like that Alis.”

She grinned at his blush. “You can’t.”


End file.
